The Christmas cards...

Okay, yeah, I know I'm early, but I'm on a mission to take the best photos of my children for this year's Christmas card.

Anyway... thanks to this fun photo editing site... I think I may have succeeded!

Can't wait to blow the relatives away this year... cutest kids ever...



So, see yesterday's post for an idea of what I have to work with. Today we tried to get a few better photos of Connor and then Kirstin wanted to try again... so we had more variety.

So without further adieu...

... and yes, I am trying to take up space so you can't peek ahead...

here are my charming, oh-so-cute, Annual Christmas card models...

...

ahem

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Hehehe... Happy Halloween! :)

School Portraits

Alex brought home his Grade 1 school photo and I hung it on the wall in place of last year's. Then I realized that the other two children's photos are horribly out of date! Kirstin's is of her 1st birthday, and Connor's is of him at 22 months old.

I guess that I haven't done the whole professional portrait thing in eons, because after we had Connor, I realized just how crazy expensive it was. With Alex I did it every three months until he was 2. With Connor I did them until he was one. That's the last one I did of him. What's hanging there now is an awesome playground shot, but not a formal portrait. Kirstin, well, poor Kirstin got photos at 1 month old and then photos at 1 year old. So... time for an update all around.

I did a photo shoot for Kirstin and Connor tonight so I can hang up new ones. Kirstin's wearing her Halloween costume, which she's so pumped about. It's charming, and "oh-so girly". The photo is AWESOME although I have to admit I took about 30 before I got one that wasn't squinty or with a weird expression. This is pretty much the only good one I got. Connor's... well, Connor's might need work still... These are, believe it or not, the best two of Connor. Certainly not the kind you want to immortalize in a yearbook... but since he's three, I figure, whatever! He'll stop "posing" by the time he's ready for his graduation photos.

So, anyway, here's what our kids look like at this point in their lives, ages 6, 3.75, and 2.5...

Alex in Grade 1.

Connor - who thinks "say cheese" means, "give me your cheesiest expression!"

And Princess Kirstin!

Smell my feet!

Kids these days!

They think they've invented everything.

Alex just sang me this cool new song he learned from some kids in school.

"Trick or Treat,
Smell my feet.
Give me something good to eat!

If you don't,
I don't care,
I'll pull down your underwear!"

Humph. Smartass little whippersnapper!

Don't worry, I set him straight. I told him that the real second verse is actually "Not too big, not too small, just the size of Montreal!"

Aah, the memories having kids brings back! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just another typical fall weekend. The wind is howling, but the sun is shining and we're toasty warm inside. I'm surrounded by toys, laundry and dishes that are calling to me. The kitchen needs to be mopped and the toilet is in bad need of a scrub-down. I think the vacuuming needs to be done, but since there is so much stuff on the living room floor, I can't really tell for sure. On a typical weekend, I'd be whining about how no one does anything all week and I have to spend all weekend cleaning up the mess. I'd be groaning about having to haul the three children to the grocery store and try to fill the cart with healthy food, despite the "I want thises, I want thats". Then I'd be heading to work Monday morning, tired and deflated because my to do list is not quite finished.

But in the grand scheme of things, what do I actually have to complain about?

I have three beautiful, lively children, a husband that worships me, family and friends, a career, and a house that I don't have time to maintain.

And so, because it's not a typical weekend, I'm going to take the time to itemize those things in my life that I really should be thankful for.

I've got it good!

I am thankful for the felt pen on the walls, because it means that my children are creative.

I am thankful for the stack of books on my dresser that I never get around to reading, because it means that I am literate.

I am thankful for the cracks in the foundation, the leaky faucets, the draughty windows, and the stains on the carpet, because it means that we have a place to call home.

I'm thankful for the mountains of laundry, because it means that my children have enough clothes to wear.

I'm thankful for the messy pantry and disorganized fridge, because it means we have enough food to eat.

I'm thankful for the empty bank accounts, because it means I always pay our bills on time.

I'm thankful for my children who take one look at dinner and say, "Yuck, I don't like this" because it means that they don't know what its like to be so hungry you'd eat anything.

I'm thankful that my husband works the crappy graveyard shift, because it means that there is always one of us home with my children.

I am thankful for the job that keeps me hopping and away from my children during the day, because it means I have a reliable paycheque and the means to provide for my family.

I could probably go on and on about the blessings in my life (you know, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger), but I have to get off my butt and get back to the housework!

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?

The Princess and her court jesters

Misheard lyrics

We took the kids to a restaurant for lunch. The kind of place that rolls the napkins around the utentsils and secures them with a paper band. To entertain herself, Kirstin decided to pull the utensils out of their wraps and she invented a little song to go with her activity.

It goes like this...

"Get the fork out, get the fork out, get the fork out..."

In a two-year old's dialect, it's really quite a charming song for one to be singing in a public establishment! :)