Happy Halloween 2013

The weekend was another busy one! It doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Lord help me. My Aunt and Uncle are here from Newfoundland for a visit. They will be staying for 3 weeks – 2 weeks here and 1 week down south! We just saw them in the summer but its always nice to see them again. This is my uncle who coincidently came for a visit the day after Adriana was born.  Almost 2 years later and she is just as excited to see him! All week she was asking “where’s Boyd? Where’s Ursie?” On Friday morning I explained they were coming and we would visit after daycare. She replied “Yayy Boyd!...and Ursie!” lol After work I went to my mom’s house – the boyfriend picked up Adriana and we were meeting there. Adriana must have been super excited because when the phone rang she thought it was Boyd. 

“Hello? Boyd?” she walked around saying.

Adriana was finally served her dish of Boyd and Urs shortly thereafter. We do like to remind her of certain people who she has met before. She builds this relationship with pictures, videos or stories from us and when she sees them again, she’s not as shy to say HI! This has been something we’ve done for a number of people already and it works like a charm! She is more inclined to run over for a hug or even just say Hi (and their name). We love that she is a “people person” although at times she is shy – more cautious than anything.

Adriana is a very lucky girl! She was blessed with a gift from a friend. A play kitchen! At her daycare there are about 3 different play kitchens and I always find her playing with them when I pick her up. I’ve been thinking of getting her one for a while but waiting for Christmas or her Birthday. A friend was trying to get rid of one to make room for another gift so I was ALL OVER THAT! Free? Don’t mind if I do! Adriana now has the classic corner kitchen set from Fisher Price along with all the classic accessories. She has the same Pots and pans as I had as a kid! Plus the classic McDonald’s Happy Meal and Hot Cakes sets. She hasn’t even touched her other toys – good time to purge and give to Goodwill!!

We only have a few swimming lessons left and then Adriana will be on to the next one! We are thinking of continuing in the new year so by summer she will be a full fledge swimmer! We are going to get her a life jacket of her own to use at public pools, friend’s houses or the cottage. We encourage her to love the water but she is wary of it which is still good. Next year at this time, Adriana will most likely be starting Preschool classes. Which means I won’t be in the pool with her J As much as I love it, she needs to learn to swim on her own. One step at a time though. 

This week is hopefully not as busy as the others have been. I need to start catching up on my sleep! Exhausted doesn’t even begin to explain how I feel! I am trying to get to bed early but it’s the sleeping part that is difficult. I am into a new relaxing tea which helps me sleep but I don’t always feel like a tea at night! The cold weather tends to make that easier for me. I have tried Sleepy Time tea by Celeste and now I am using the Tazo Zen tea K-cups! Love my Keurig :)

Christmas is on its way!! Less than 2 months to go people! Are you ready? Just kidding – still plenty of time for shopping. My personal plan is to take advantage of Black Friday, which has started to hit Canada. I hope more retailers participate in offering Canadians the great deals offered in the States. Last year Best Buy had a GREAT sale online and I will be watching out for it this year too. I figured if I could get most of my shopping done that weekend – I’m golden.

I have started to put things aside for Adriana (the kitchen set was a special gift). There is also a Wish List via Toys R Us for her already started by me to give people ideas of what she may need. Obviously clothes are a given so closer to the date I will list her sizes for family. I’m excited for her second Christmas!! It gets better every year I hear….

Look at me…talking about Christmas before even mentioning Halloween!! It’s only a few days away now and Little Missy will be……..

 

A BEE!!!

I got it this weekend and she saw the package. Adriana started waving her hands in the air saying “Bee bee no bee go away bee. Bee bee bee bee!” Lol Clearly she’s ready to be a Bee! I can’t wait. We will probably just go to a few houses on our street as soon as we get home from daycare. She will be too tired for anything more! As she gets older she will do more houses – we have a great neighbourhood for Trick or Treating. It will be great for her to show off her costume and get candy for the first time! Last year she was a strawberry and sick! Hopefully that doesn’t happen again this time so she can enjoy the time out.

Bon Vayage

The past few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for me! The amount of bittersweet moments in this short time is more than ever in my life. First we celebrated the long awaited return of my sister and soon to be brother in law. Now we are "celebrating" a new chapter for my other sister and her husband. My use of quotation marks is because its not really a celebration. Although I'm happy for her and her husband to start this new journey, I'm sad to see her leave.

Jill has been a great help with Adriana. Picking her up from daycare when we needed her, watching her so we can have a date night, and even just playing with her to give us a short break! It was nice to have her close by too - Newfoundland isn't so close. This will be an interesting journey for them though. I think Jill always felt more "at home" there since we visited one summer in highschool. I remember her saying that she was coming back for sure. Of course we didn't believe her but after 4years of university she returned home. I thought that was good enough until she continued to go back every year in the summer since then.

This past summer's vacation with Adriana must have been eye opening for her. She did more sightseeing than normal and I guess it made her realize that Newfoundland really was home for her. A little while after our trip, she told me she wants to move there. I wasn't that surprised but wasn't sure if her husband would make the big move. A few weeks later she told me her house was going on the market, he was transferring his job and they were going to move to NFLD, officially.

I'm glad she's doing what makes her happy!! I think the lifestyle in NFLD is more her style instead of the big city life. She likes to work and relax - that's it. Nothing wrong with that either! She will be more at ease in that environment and maybe really settle down with a family next! I wish her and her husband all the best and a safe road trip. Can't wait for Skype dates!!

On another note, I think I might either be going crazy or things are getting real with Adriana! I haven't quite figured it out whether she's talking more clearly or I'm understanding her gibberish more. I'd like to say the latter was a joke but seriously.....at 21mths old she is saying full sentences!! The other day she said as clearly as anything "Auntie Kimmy, what are you doing?" I had to stop and stare at her for a moment before I repeated and answered her question. Impressive if you ask me!

I've read all the guidelines for a toddler and she is definitely above the average. Honestly, we don't do anything different than most parents. We read to her, colour, sing, dance, and watch TV with her. She seems to grasp things more easily now too; repeating people a lot. So watch what you say around Adriana - 9 times out of 10 she will repeat it! *yikes*

I'm jumping ahead a little - all the way to Christmas. I cannot wait!! She is going to love Christmas just like I always did as a kid. I started a Toys R Us Wish List under her name to keep track of some ideas I find for her. I will have to make room for toys in her room too. Looks like I will donate them to a charity or the Thrift store in town. I would never just throw out toys!! I always try to see if friends need them first since I'd rather them go to someone I know and needs it. However, I am big on donating and wish there was a toybank that would come pick up this stuff!! I don't get rid of everything though. I try to keep certain things that have a meaning to us. Her books will most likely never go anywhere.

We always talked about having a good library for her to read whenever she wanted. Reading feeds the mind and creates imagination. It is possibly the best thing you can do for your child. We are also a bit old fashioned when it comes to reading - we prefer the actual books instead of ebooks. Of course she knows how to use a tablet, but its much better for her to sit and actually flip the pages of a good book! When she's old enough, I would love her to read my absolutely favourite classic book: Little Women.

Yes, Christmas shopping has commenced. Don't judge me. Working full time means I don't have time to go to the mall whenever I want anymore lol So I've started some online shopping! Mostly ordering clothes for Adriana and will put away until the big day. I will have more room in the storage when the tree is up! Ohhh I can't wait!!


What is your favourite holiday?
How will you be spending it this year?
Do you think we will have a white Christmas?
When do you start shopping and why?

Thankfulness of a Mommy

Have you ever had a moment to stop and think about everything that you have? Your entire life including friends and family? It is Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and there is plenty for me to be thankful for. I have had an interesting year full of ups and downs. We were blessed with a beautiful daughter who continues to grow and learn daily. She is beyond our expectations of everything!

More recently, I am thankful for having my older sister back. Its been tough without her around. Although it was an experience of a lifetime for her and her fiance, I don't think I could go another year without her! It will be a lot of catching up in the coming weeks and I can't wait to plan her wedding with her.
I am thankful for my other sister for making a big move - thinking about her happiness - across Canada. She is going where her heart takes her and I'm happy for her and her husband!! Its not easy to pick up everything and leave your family but she knows what makes her happy! I am definitely going to miss her but knowing its where her heart wants to be - I'm happy for her :)

My family has had some changes and this weekend I am thankful for them more than ever. We have been given opportunities to jump start a great life and plan for the future. I am very thankful for those opportunities!! I believe they were a long time coming and now everything is falling into place very nicely. I will be continuing school in January, which means I will be graduating that program by April and can move on to the next one. We have a hardcore savings program in place to help us toward some personal goals.


What are you thankful for this year?
Have you set your goals (I don't believe in New Year Resolutions)?
What do you eat for Thanksgiving?
Share your recipes below!