So I went and said it...

I commented last night how remarkable it has been that the girls haven't been sick yet, when our friend Izzy has been sick sooooooo many times the past few months. Guess who woke up sick this morning with a sore throat? Miss Amelia, soon to be followed by Miss Ember, I'm sure since we share everything.

Why do I do this? I seriously think she's sick as a direct result of me saying that. What else could it be? Certainly not the fact that she's at preschool three days a week and we are exposed to 9 other kids that could at any time have the makings of a cold.... nope that's not it.

You know your kiddo is sick when you suggest they are tired and they say yes and then agree to have a nap at 10am. Wow.

Winter doldrums

So here we are, three weeks into January I'm hoping this month and the next will go quickly. We haven't been up to much lately, getting outside whenever the weather allows (which it has lately, it's been fairly nice except for a few days of -20 celsius) We've had the snow stick around for a few weeks now, so we've finally been able to use our sled.

Lately we've been working on trying to encourage Ember to use the potty and getting Amelia to wipe here own bum after a poo. There has been lots of resistance, to say the least. Amelia and I had a 40 minute stand off tonight and Ember... well lets say that diapers are still a large part of our lives. She spent 2 hours in a poopy diaper this afternoon because she keeps denying that there is anything there and won't let anyone change her. I'm not fighting things anymore. Sorry to anyone that is grossed out by this (I'm talking to my child-free friends and family) Hope you weren't eating! haha

We've made great use of our annual passes to the Discovery Centre and the Museum of Natural History the past few months. The girls still like going and even though I'm sick of seeing the same displays, they still find something interesting each time we go. Sometimes they will actually stop long enough that I can read the signs to them. It's hard to find things that are cheap or free to do. If one had unlimited funds it would be easy to keep the kiddies entertained! We do go to the library at least once a week, and I have a few more activities that I've signed one or both girls up for, so hopefully that will help the time pass quickly too.

Amelia is still enjoying preschool, most days when I can get her to tell me how it went, things were "fine". Sometimes she will say more, but it's usually about something that happened a few days before. Maybe it takes a while to process things??
Her teacher says she's really well behaved, helpful, kind, follows directions, prefers to play by herself but will play with other kids too every so often. She must be saving up all her good behaviour for school, because I see none of this at home!
I have noticed that she's less shy, which is good. When we were at the Museum of Natural History last week, I noticed she didn't stand back or let the other kids push ahead of her like usual, she went right to the front so she could see. This made me very happy to see her being more assertive.

This week we also said good bye to another family that we are acquainted with who have left for the greener pastures of Ontario this weekend. The second family since we've moved here - and not even military! The other military family that we know on our block are potentially getting posted soon, so we will likely be back to where we started, knowing only one family. It's kinda weird.
We are hopeful that we are going to find out what the military wants to do with Ron asap, and who knows, we might be the next family to move! But I get ahead of myself. One day at a time.

So what's new with you?

Post Christmas debriefing

Well, there goes another Christmas. All that planning and preparation for one day! oh well. We had a great Christmas with our little family of four - it was quiet and relatively calm. Despite eating an entire jumbo-sized candy cane, Ember was pretty good (Amelia still has most of hers).

Opening stockings

Dino girls! 

Co-captains Ember and Amelia, ready to blast off! 

Decorating the ship

You might notice, no barbies or princesses. There is a reason for that. I debated whether I should get them one, since they asked a couple of times, but decided that I will not go down that road. I want to encourage other interests besides consumerist/fashionista barbie and "my life's goal is to get married" princesses. It may be harder next year, but I don't think that you have to cave to every demand your kid makes and I don't feel that either of those toys reflect our values. Maybe I'm way off. Any moms of girls, I would love to hear your views on the topic! Email me!!

Even though this one is a little out of focus, it shows a lovely Ember, the neat tent building toy that I wish was around when I was a kid and one of the beautiful quilts that Auntie Jen made for the girls.

The new siding and windows on our house! It looks like a new house :)

And we finally did get a white Christmas.... two days late! It started raining shortly after we took these pictures and almost all the snow was gone by morning :(

I never thought I would miss snow, but I do! Nova Scotia doesn't have real winters and when it does snow it's so wet and sloppy it's not even fun to play in. I'm sure all my family and friends are saying boo-hoo right now. Oh well, maybe some day we'll get to a place that has real winters again :)

Bailey's and coffee

Mmmmm, my favourite drink during the holidays. Is there anything better? I picked some up last Friday and the cashier at the liquor store made my day by asking for ID!

"Really???" I squealed (literally, I squealed like an excited school girl) to which she laughingly replied, "you're over thirty aren't you?" I don't care if she asked because they are being extra vigilant, it made my day. I told her that was the best Christmas present EVER!

That, combined with getting $150 of free groceries ( PC points- yes!!) made for a nice holiday present. I don't ask for much :)

Baking day

It's cold and trying to snow but so far.... Not a white Christmas- yet.

The girls are scrubbing the floor on their hands and knees while I bake (Amelia's idea, I swear!) That's how bored they are. What a great way to keep them busy so I can bake :)

Not sure if you can see the snow, I just thought I would try.

Sewing with my girls

I had a wooden orange box that I was trying find a way to repurpose but couldn't think of anything. This morning Amelia picked it up and said it would make a great box for her and Ember's new puppy and kitty that the received from cousin Cheryl (thanks, btw!)

We painted up the box and then one at a time we sewed up a pillow and sleeping bag for each new "pet". We also managed to recycle some old baby sleepers that I have been saving for a project like this. This is my first attempt at sewing with my girls and it went surprisingly well. Keeping the projects super simple and my expectations low helped, as did explaining that we need to take turns and go slowly.

This was a great learning experience for all of us, I can't wait for our next project!

Ready to go swimming -anytime!

The girls have been obsessed with swimming lately. They often get dresses up in their swimsuits and just play in their room. Today, they have everything packed, including a snack.

Update: going for a polar bear swim!