first barber cut and catch-up.

Matt took Everett for his first professional hair cut at a real barber shop. He was very well behaved. I haven't been taking many pictures because we haven't been getting out of our pajamas much. Or a version of pajamas. However, we are getting outside almost every day, snowpants over jammies. I made an effort and here is Jack dressed up in a pair of vintage overalls sent by Auntie April, while chomping on a teething ring care of Auntie Gracie. And of course Everett (with his new hair cut) holding Jack.

brothers.

ice sculptures 2010.

Last week we went downtown to look at the newly carved ice sculptures. Last year we missed them because we waited too long and they all disappeared during a pineapple express that melted almost all the snow the last week of January. This year it was cold and the ice rink was hard and smooth. Everett hasn't done much skating yet but he has no fear of falling... intentionally running just to fall down over and over again, just so he could yell 'ouch!'.

Here's a link if you want to learn more. It even has a video showing the artists doing the carving.

A funny story about New Years Eve. We went downtown to take part in the "Fire and Ice" Celebrations. There were some ice sculptures, fire throwers and jugglers and then of course, fireworks. The evening had its ups and downs, but I think what we'll always want to remember is that Everett renamed us all (we'll often have several different identities in one day) for the next few days; he was Fireworks, I was Ice Sculpture, Jack was Sparkle and Matt was (and he says his all time favourite nickname ever) Downtown.

2009 in review.

For days now, I've been trying to cleverly summarize our year into a few paragraphs and since I repeatedly lost the battle using pen and paper(surrendering my pen and paper to Everett)I realized that most of the significent things that happened to us are already here on this blog. Between this and playing with spoons, it's a pretty good synopsis of our day to day life. With that said, I looked through our photos and compared them to what was on the blog and there are some glaring omissions. The trip to Ontario for example. I have unpublished, neverbeforeseen pictures of Fiona, Molly and Everett, and Everett's birthday party. Plus the many photos of Jack taken over the last three months. Not that you're that interested, but for arguments sake let's pretend you are. I certainly am and will be forever so hopefully this blog doesn't dissappear.

I've kind of gone overboard with the photos, but really there are just ten contact sheets. Each photo is labeled underneath. If you want any of these images, just email me or comment and I will send you them as soon as possible.

As we finish this year, we continue to be in awe of our parents, and frankly, all parents out there. Raising children could be the most challenging thing we’ve ever done.  
This is hard work.
Bring it on 2010.

Santa came...

We had a quiet family Christmas. Everett was truly in the spirit of (opening) gifts and the magic of St. Nick.

Things I don't want to forget about this Christmas.

Matt was the first one up, with Jack, preparing breakfast and coffee... waiting for Everett and me to wake up.

Everett reciting 'The Night Before Christmas'. "To de top of de porch! To de top of de wall! Now dassaway, dassaway, dassaway all." Which one is Dassaway?

Singing jingle bells over and over and over again.

I'll add more as they come to me.

I've been trying to get out holiday and thank you cards, and it's been excrutiatingly impossible. I have high hopes that this will be the perfect venue to reflect and cross reference events - almost everything that happened this year is in this blog - and maybe produce a card. As for Thank you notes... hold on to your hats, they will trickle in. We're trying for one a day or so. We have a lot to be Thankful for.

more! snow

SOOOOO much snow. It's amazing. Not too cold, but it's hard to walk in.

Everett scaled a snowbank next to a tree and was able to climb onto it's lower branches. He bumped it while climbing, and a huge dusting of snow fell and fell and fell around him. He didn't like it, but it was amazing to watch.

wish lists...

Hello dear gift givers. Everett has a list and well, I thought I'd share it with everyone so that they know what he's into. I totally have mixed feelings about this, but his list is sweet and it doesn't take a lot to make a kid excited about Christmas. And well, if Everett gets a list, Jack gets one too. You'll find them on the side bar.

Do you have a list? Can we see it?
*Also, if you have chosen something on this list and want me to remove it or make a note, I will.

We're pretty excited about Christmas around here. It's hard to get anything done, but we're trying. Today Matt put up some outdoor lights. Yesterday we made a Gingerbread house (a kit) and some gingerbread cookies (not a kit).

Jack has grown and changed so much. He's still concerned, and cries if he's had to much to nurse...:( but the other day he just started kicking and smiling and cooing and gooing. When he smiles it is just so genuine and direct. I forgot how completely absorbed I become by my baby's smiles. Here he is at 7.5 weeks.

Wintertime.

In this picture, Jack is 6 weeks old. We go on forest walks altogether. We went down a different path and found this shelter. We collected spruce cones and alder cones.

We've been making lots of snow people in the front yard. These two are Fiona and Molly.

embracing winter.

I forgot how cold November can be. It's been below zero (farenheit) for the past week and it's tricky to get us all outside for very long. We did enjoy a nice fire in the fireplace outside. And the moose came back and had a nap in our backyard.

first snow

The first snow came overnight November 9th. It was a big day for our house. I know this because I started a big wall calender with Monday, November 9th as the first day - Christmas is coming so soon. New snow and the first day of swimming lessons! (And first day of no more diapers!?! ) That evening a moose came calling and ate the pumpkin off our front stoop.
On the 10th Jack turned four weeks old.

halloween '09

Halloween was a big deal.
Thanks to Gramma Jude, we had a cozy warm Buddy the Dinosaur (T-REX) costume to wear to a party and out trick'r treating. Sadly, we didn't break out the Turtle costume for Jack, but we did dress him up in a Pumpkin sleeper wrapped in a ladybug blankie and hat.




Matt does a great job of dressing up the driveway for trick'r treat-er's. He likes it when a house is clearly open for business.

pensive.

Usually, he is quiet but concerned.

gramma jude

My mom will be here with me through the week. We are grateful. Thanks Mom for staying longer, and thanks to everyone else for letting me keep her for just a little longer.