'Tis the Season!

Merry Belated Christmas, everyone, and an early Happy New Year! I hope that everyone's Christmas was bright and joyous and that the coming New Year brings peace, health and much love to you and your loved ones. I just wanted to share a few of our Christmas photos, I hope you will indulge me.

The Big Snow

I sit here in the kitchen with Calder on my lap looking out our patio doors and see nothing but our back neighbours' snow-covered house and snow drifts everywhere. I love it!! It's been great staying in all day, instead of running around doing errands. Yes, I know it's the Christmas season and I probably could have gotten more shopping done today, but I am not going to stress about it. It's been a fun and relaxing day, starting with yummy banana pancakes (Calder loves them) by the Christmas tree in the morning and just now finishing off with some fun in the snow.

Here are a few pictures from today - Calder looking out the window in all the snow to his first real experience with snow in his new snow pants. He liked it for the most part, except when the wind blew snow in his face. That he didn't like. I hope everyone is having a wonderful snowy day!!

More pictures

As promised, I said I would add some more pictures from last week.

Here are some pictures from Calder's Grandpa's birthday celebration last Saturday. Calder had such a fun time!

He couldn't wait for dinner, so he had a little snack of a banana with Avo.


Checking himself out in the mirror. It was so cute - he was waving to the reflection.


His cousin Peter put on a Dora game and Calder had a BLAST!! Doh!!!!!! (Calder-speak for Dora) If Calder could say thank-you, he'd say, Thank you cousin Peter!!


Blowing out the candles on Grandpa's cake with Grandpa and cousins Peter and Olivia.


Last Sunday we put up our Christmas tree and I just had to snap a picture of Calder and Daddy together. I have to be quick these days, as Calder moves so much and is apt to not smile if I don't get it on the fly, so forgive the photo! They're not centered!


On Sunday we also went to a Marlies game at the Ricoh Centre. It was Gary, myself, Calder and Calder's Uncle Walter and cousin Peter. This was a joint birthday gift to Peter and Walter. Calder, as some of you may know, loves hockey already, and he had such a fun time at the game. I was so proud of him - he hardly fussed at all. Sometimes I had to walk him around, but he did a great job behaving!! Here is Gary and Calder watching the players skate on the ice before the start of the game. Calder was fascinated.


Here is Mommy and Calder in out seats. :)


Last, but not least, we went to the mall today to get a picture taken with Santa. we waited quite a while - Santa was very busy visiting with children today - but got to see him. :) Calder was tired, he hadn't had a nap at that point, and cried out at first when he was plopped on Santa's lap - but was quickly distracted by some jingling bells by the photographer. I think the photo turned out wonderfully. This photo is from the Photo CD we bought - and I was expecting it to have the neat border on it that the actual photos do, but it doesn't. It's still beautiful nonetheless. :) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

Quick Pics

Well I am writing this from school as I happen to have access to a few pictures from here, and also it's hard to find a moment to sit down and do this at home. Here are a few pictures from the last week or so. Look for some upcoming pictures of Calder at his Grandpa's birthday party! (those pictures are at home!)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

Hey Mom, I'm just hanging out by the fridge....hmmm..whatcha got there for me? Anything?


Calder loves to climb on the couch now - and peeking over the couch is lots of fun! He just doesn't know yet that he can FALL over the arm of the couch. We have to watch him carefully!


Calder has recently discovered how to put on hats (well, for the most part) and found my hat the other day. This is the result!!


Calder already loves hockey (thanks to Daddy - oh and we also went to a Marlies game last weekend!) and loves playing a hockey game online. When he gets a goal, he raises his hands in the air - "score!"

Stringing words

Before I write anything else, i must say that Gary called to me the other day very excitedly - and for good reason. He and Calder were playing in Calder's room and Finn (our dog) walked into the room. Guess what Calder said? "Hi Dog"!!! Wow, his first sentence, if you can call it that - but he definitely strung two words together to make sense! I heard it in the car today when I asked if when we go home and see Finn if he will say "hi dog" and he said it again! He sounds so cute....

I also want to send out a big congratulations to two sets of our friends on the arrivals of their little bundles of Joy just recently. Congratulations to Alicia and Denny on teh birth of their second child - Griffin - a whopping 10 lbs 2 oz - and every ounce the cutie! Also a big congrats to Heidi and Steve on the birth of their first child, (another boy!!) - Keagan. Also a good size of a baby - 8 lbs 15 oz!! We can't wait to meet you, Keagan!

With the advent of the Holiday Season fast approaching, Gary and I find ourselves very busy on the weekend. I am all for relaxing, of course - but I am also the kind of person that likes to be busy if it involves friends and family. I just love it! And, if it also involves Christmas - well gosh! - I am truly over the moon.

Anyway, over the past week or so we have done a few things and Gary and I have taken a few pictures. Here are some pics of our ventures lately!

Calder always laughs up a storm when he is tickled by Mommy's foot. Don't ask me why. :)


Calder's new Winter Jacket. Oh, he just makes my heart melt.


Calder at our friends' daughter's 3rd birthday on Sunday - Calder LOVED the Ball pit! He was moving so much he was so excited it was difficult to get a picture of him.

Also at the party, he was fascinated (as was I, I must be honest) by the battery-operated car on this track! Calder went around and around and had a blast!!! He even figured out how to turn it on and off, starting and stopping the car.


Here's a picture of Calder at the birthday table (no that's not the birthday girl)- we just thought Calder was so cute, sitting so well along with the other girls and boys. We have never seen that before. :)


About a week or so ago, a huge bunch of my family and family friends went out for Dim Sum...here's a picture of Calder and I!!


Afterwards, we went back to my Grandmother's for a little visit. Here's Calder and HIS Grandma. How can you tell he didn't want a picture taken?


Here's a picture of Calder and his Auntie Colleen.


Calder loves to read. Here, as Gary says, he is reading up on the nutritional value of the food we feed Finn. He has to make sure his hairy brother is eating okay!


And this final picture, to me, looks to me like Calder is such a 'big boy'. I can see in his face how he will be when he grows up, just a little bit more. *sigh* My baby is growing so fast!!

Just pictures

No time to really write a blog today - busy busy with report cards, cleaning, getting ready to go out for a big Dim Sum lunch - and of course, looking after Calder takes up some time. :)

Here is a picture of one of Calder's friends (and he just happens to be the son of one of my very good friends, Hang) - his name is Ashur and he is 5 months old.


Just a mischievious picture of Calder during dinner one night. Just after this picture he decided he didn't want any food - he's teething big time right now - getting two lower molars in - and food is a difficult thing right now for him!


Calder loves the computer and especially loves this site that a friend told me about - Kneebouncers. Here he is having lots of fun at the computer!


Calder's Avo came to stay over this weekend so Gary and I could clean up the basement and do some other work around the house. This was just after Calder smothered her with kisses when he first saw her.


Have a great week, everyone!!

A week in pictures

Here is just a cute picture of Calder. What an adorable little guy. Gary and I are in awe of him every day.


Last weekend we had a play date at 'Little Feet Fitness' with my friend Carrie and her 10-month old daughter, Jaden. Calder and Jaden hadn't seen each other in 2 months, and save for a few drive-by kisses to Jaden, and one tackle, Calder was playing with Daddy or driving one of the cars there. I love these shots.



Yet another one of the two men in my life - both wearing their Maple Leaf garb. Go Leafs Go! Or as Calder would say 'Daaaaa!' (his word for Hockey - there's a story to that!)


A picture taken tonight of Calder and I at the computer playing a computer game for babies. He was totally enthralled but stopped long enough to grace us with this picture, but as you might be able to tell, he's a little distracted. :)


In other news, Calder had quite an eventful week - he's banged his head twice. Once last Sunday trying to get by Gary he whacked his head on the door frame, resulting in a huge egg and a bruise that's still there. The other time was today - at Daycare - he was running or something and fell and hit his head on a chair leg. Oh, Calder, you are such a boy. If it were only these falls this week, I would be quite nonchalant about it, but on Wednesday when I picked him up my Daycare provider told me he fell on the (unfinished) basement stairs and hit his top two teeth - but there was only a bit of blood, and he didn't cry much, making her think it wasn't that serious. When I got there I took a look at his gums and they were quite red and swollen looking in the front, and behind his teeth, the gum line was dark red and still bleeding. It took everything in my power not to freak out - I didn't want my beautiful baby losing his teeth!! After going to the walk-in clinic after that, and then to the Dentist yesterday, Calder's teeth are fine. His gums are slowly regaining their natural colour, and he isn't as sore, although he is still on a soft diet. One thing that worries me, and will for a long time to come, is that the Dentist said that the tooth can DIE (turn grey and may or may not fall out) in anywhere from a few days to 6 months or more. Oh. My. God. I am going to have to try hard not to freak out over this on a daily basis. I am also supposed to check every so often if there is an abscess forming on his upper gums, which would indicate an infection.

Ack! What a week. Cross your fingers for us that next week, is a week without tumbles and spills for our little boy. And what a little boy he is!

More Hallowe'en Pictures

Well Calder, Mommy and Daddy had such a fun time on Hallowe'en night. We visited a couple of neighbours (and by a couple I mean 2) and had fun outside on our porch and the front yard, handing out candies to Trick-or-Treaters. Calder also had fun brmm-brmming around the sidewalk on his Red Rocket trike. Here are some pictures of our Hallowe'en!

One of my students took this picture of me in my classroom!



Calder had fun investigating while Mommy carved the pumpkin. He still thinks the pumpkin is a ball of some sort, but we'll get there!




I wanted a nice picture of the two of us, but Calder would have nothing of it.



Would a cat and monkey get along in real life? This pair does!!!!!