The Good Side of January

We celebrated a birthday yesterday - N looks all of 4 and I'm hoping every birthday is this easy!!  I made a construction cake (seriously foolproof) and we had a few friends and family over for supper and playing lego and had a great time together. We picked up some black & yellow striped caution tape at the safety store and taped up the house - no missing our theme!

N is still loving preschool and Awana, and starts swimming lessons next week.  He should end this session in the water without having one of us in there with him!  He's looking forward to getting out sledding with Dad - he's got his own sled, but that's still pretty new and tentative - he really likes riding on Dad's!

Stay warm and joyful!!

Summer Memories

August is trickling away... I know there are more hot days to enjoy and we even hope to get in another camping trip, but it is change time.

We often get out camping right at the beginning of summer, and this year was no exception.  This was the first time we went with the Ward clan, though, and it may be the start of an annual thing, it went so well.  We camped on Madge Lake in the Duck Mountain Provincial Park, which has become one of our regular places, and it was great. Clear water, all our campsites right together, lots of cousin time...  The only downside was that a certain somebody had to miss out to go to summer school.

Nolan's first tube ride.

Another crazy ride with Dad.

Monica photobombing a mother daughter shot.

 Also in July this beauty turned sixteen, and chose to celebrate with a load of physical upgrades - makeover, nails, hair, ear piercing...

August saw M at camp for a few weeks, and then an adventure filled road trip week with her Aunt & Uncle & cousins, to Minneapolis, Chicago, then Toronto, where she flew home from while they went on to visit relatives on the east coast.

I was just looking through my August photos and I think that will have to be another post.  I was reminded of all the little fun things we did - good memories!

Homemade Playdough

I had made Nolan a batch of playdough the week before his party, and had the brilliant idea that I'd make more as the goodie bags, too.  It costs nothing, kids love it, and it's not something to clutter up the house or add sugar to the system.  That's a win in my books.

So I planned to make four batches, do each one a different color, then divide them so each child got some of each.  Trouble was I had a little helper, was a little distracted, read one of the amounts wrong... and ended up making four double batches.  It worked out being a nice amount, so a good little mistake.

Here are some shots of the process, and the recipe is at the end, if you want it.

It helps to have a little helper.

My original recipe from Mom...

...with a note added by my first playdough lover.

Stir it up.

Make sure you taste it!

Clean up time!

The finished product!

This recipe is the one in the cookbook my mom made for me when I moved out, with all the familiar recipes that she made when we were growing up.  After my own recipe binder, it's still the one I use the most often.

Playdough
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp oil
(1 tsp alum - optional)
a few drops of food colouring

Mix it all up, add more flour if it's too stick.  Store in the fridge.

And then he was two...

January has felt nice and slow.  After the fullness of the months leading up to Christmas, and then lots of family time and traveling, January has been fairly relaxed for me.  I haven't put too much effort into my shop, just slowly making a few things here and there.  Madeline is back at school, basketball, and soccer, and right now is in exams, so keeping her running is enough of a job!  We did have a birthday last weekend, but even that was pretty low key - I didn't even make a cake!  We had a few little families over for a playdate-party; opened a few presents and had some ice cream cake from DQ.  Nolan opened and enjoyed some of his gifts; we opened the ones from his friends first, and when he ran out of enthusiasm, we just put the ones from us away for the next day, which was his actual birthday anyway.  I did make some playdough for the little ones that came though.  I'll post that recipe and pictures soon.

Some highlights of the boy being two:

• hearing him sing happy birthday to himself - the whole song!
• when we went to Dairy Queen to pick out a cake, he climbed up into a booth, ready to eat it NOW!
• learning to make a 'pop' sound with his finger in his mouth - I tried to help him with my finger, but when I told him to tighten up his lips, he tightened up his teeth... OUCH!
• a trip to the doctor for a check up: he didn't want to climb on the scale to get weighed, but as soon as the nurse went to get a sucker to bribe him, he got on to 'practice'
• He's 30 lbs and over 3 feet - that means he'll be tall when he grows up - over 6 feet.  I've heard for boys double their height at 2, and for girls, double their height at 18 months to find out their end height.
• That's 95th percentile height and 85th percentile weight
• He loves shoveling - we've had some good weather this week and he's agile in the snow and handles the shovel like a pro.
• He can talk really well and make himself understood.
• He is getting good at knowing his colours, and his letters are even starting to come along, thanks in part to his favourite show, Super Why!

'Calling' Granny from a phone at M's soccer game.

After swimming with Riley.

Playdough!  He loves to eat it, too.  Mmm - salty.

At the family center - rock a bye baby!

At DQ wanting to eat the cake.

Party day!

And the rest of the fam...

This 'LeapTop' is a new favourite.

A shot I love sent from a friend.

Gramma & Grampa came on his birthday.

He got himself in Daddy's boots.

In action - from the pile back on to the deck.

The Birthday!

Cakes decorated!

 

House decorated!

Presents out - just waiting for my friends!

We invited Anna and Ty - Nolan's two closest friends.

He liked the singing and that little bit of fire.

He got Dad's help to blow it out, and was disappointed when the fire was gone.

Ha ha - my own little car!

It's soft!

I squished it!

So strong!  This is how he treats other food, too.

What?  Eat it?  (Everything ELSE goes in his mouth...)

Try some.

Yep, I like that.

All done.  Nice beard.

So we had a fun little party with a couple of friends... that morphed into a houseful of family who came to help celebrate.  Thanks to all who came!

How Does A Baby Grow?

Little by little - in a blink!

What a great day!  Today we celebrated our little man's first birthday - what a joy he is and we are thankful for the friends and family who helped us celebrate and who sent us messages.  It really does take a village to raise a child, and we're grateful for all of you who are a part of Nolan's world.

I'll post photos of the day once I've had a chance to see what we actually have on the camera - I turned it over to Madeline while I brought the cake out and Sean had Nolan; she took quite a few throughout the party, so I'm not sure what I'll find.  It's nice to not be not be the one behind the camera sometimes, especially when you know the event will still get covered!

For now, here are a bunch of my favorites - one from every two weeks all year long.  Enjoy!

brand new

two weeks

one month

one and a half months

two months

two and a half months

three months

three and a half months

four months

four and a half months

five months

five and a half months

six months

six and a half months

seven months

seven and a half months

eight months

eight and a half months

nine months

nine and a half months

ten months

ten and a half months

eleven months

eleven and a half months