Live it!

Girls?

So tell me... are little girls in a much bigger hurry to 'grow up' than boys, or is it just mine? She is so independent and although she needs to be with me much more than her brother... she is also eager to prove to me time and time again that she is her own little person.

This evening... I walk into her room. All her Christmas toys are thrown about and she has apparently been having a great time trying them all out. Barbie shoes x 100 all over the floor. Somehow, amongst this mess she is managing to pace back and forth (like her daddy does) in her room as she has an imaginary telephone conversation with her Poppa Emerson. When she notices me standing at her doorway watching her, she matter of factly states:

"Mom, please get out of my room. I need my privacy".

Yes, she is 3 years old. Ahem... going on 13.

Greetings :)

Today it is so quiet here. Eery a bit after all the hustle and bustle of Christmas time. I always feel a little sad when Christmas is over but eventually it has to. The worst part is Shaune has returned to work after a week off (he had the week before Christmas off this year)... he was sick (the whole family was but Shaune had it all especially bad) the entire time with his eye and then got the flu and then a bad cold after that. Poor man! The kids had recovered for the most part in time for Christmas and it was a most excellent time.

This year we did things a bit different. After many, many, many years my 92 year old Gram didn't host the Emerson family Christmas dinner this year. I don't blame her... it was complete crazy with all the young kids and she is after all in her 90's. I know she was a bit sad to end the tradition but we completely understood and went to visit her Christmas eve day. I missed seeing her very much on Christmas day but things change and it was time.

Instead we opened our gifts at home & then headed to Mom/Dad's for Christmas breakfast. Delicious! Then opened more gifts and headed home for a day of cooking. We had Shaune's family for Christmas supper and I made my first big old turkey since back when we lived in London 12ish years ago. Everything turned out well and it was a fun night. More gifts, more food, more more more :)

For Keaton it was the year of Star Wars and Playstation.

For Chloe it was Barbie-mania... to be specific: 12 Dancing Princess Barbie.

For Shaune === Ipod, casual clothes, pool stereo speakers & Guitar Hero (did you hear that Jenn and Renee?) ;)

For me  === I finally got a system like Tivo (we are in Canada and can't get Tivo) & look forward to watching more tv ;) I also got a fun purse from Roots from the kids and lots of other fantastic goodies... including a luggage set from my parents = i needed that!

Boxing day is always about playing with all the toys you got. Keaton was on a PS2 marathon and Chloe mostly liked watching. Chloe loves her Twyla the cat and it was all she really ASKED for for Christmas. We (Shaune & I) had fun with the Guitar Hero2. Later in the morning Curtis and Erin came over to play for a few hours and then the toys all got a test run...so fun for them all!

We had my parents get-together = great casual time with my Mom's side of the family. It is a tradition and we hang out and order Chinese food and have some drinks :)

The kids are having a ball going thru all their toys and games and playing with each for about 2 minutes each ;)

We had a very Merry Christmas and I'm so thankful for the family we have and the friends we share.

Santa skates?!

Keaton got a fun surprise at hockey today when Santa came on the ice and skated the last half of the practice with them. Keaton was excited and was REALLY excited when Santa told him he was the fastest skater out there... if you know Keaton at all - you know that is important to him :)

 

Keaton got a sheriff badge, gun and belt/holster from Santa and played with it all day long.

FUN!

Christmas Eve tomorrow (ok... just looked at the clock - it is 1am... so i guess it IS Christmas Eve). I have some wrapping to finish and some food to prep for the next day but other than that... I'm hoping to get to church with the kids and just chill at home. Merry Christmas to everyone and in case you didn't get our card in the mail... here it is - from the Lightfoots... to you :)

Over the moon...

...proud of you, Shaune. Just over the moon happy and proud of you. You have worked so hard and you deserve this and since it was the only thing you said you wanted for Christmas... I guess now I can return all those gifts I bought you ;) wink wink.

Press Release

snow... and a birthday for K

ok. it is mid december and there is no snow on the ground. the rain is back again today and it is ticking me off. i like snow in december. after that... i don't care. but in december i want snow. it makes me get excited about christmas. i love tobogganing (sledding) and we haven't had enough snow to do that yet at all. keaton also asked for snowboarding lessons (if you can imagine - ack!) for his birthday gift from us... but there has not been enough snow for that. I called the ski hill in our area and noone is around yet.

So... I am dreaming of a White Christmas and I surely hope we get one. Fingers and toes are crossed. We did get a sprinkling of snow last week and I managed a few photos of the kids (and Henry the dog) waiting for K's bus to come in the morning... not even cold enough to see your breath so it melted away :(

It has been forever I think since I posted photos of Mr. Henry the dog. He is good. We love him a lot. Such a hand full and so out of control when people come to visit... anyone have any advice on that? We did finally install Invisible Fencing about 1 1/2 months ago and so far (knock on wood) it is working great and is really helping Henry b/c he is getting more exercise and freedom. We did our back field too so he can run like the WIND. He is faster than Keaton even (and that is saying A LOT).

Keaton's birthday is today. Gosh, I cannot believe it. He is six. So cliche but "where has the time gone?" I still check on him (and his sister) every night before I go to bed (usually really late) and I still see that baby when he sleeps. He still puckers his lips and has the same expression. He melts me when I see him like that and makes me a little sad that he'll never be that beautiful baby boy again. Time flies. But it's all good. He is healthy and very happy and everything I ever imagined that beautiful baby boy would become. As he turns six: he adores school and is reading wonderfully, loves recess and his friends, still melts hearts with his charm and sweet smile, is a cool dresser and insists upon it, loves McDonalds, pizza, and even more than that: chinese food. The only vegetable he'll eat is celery (unless it is in chinese food!) and taco's are something he really loves right now. He is memorizing Christmas Carol's and is big into Lego, Ninja Turtles, Star Wars and all things Boys. As mentioned above, he wants to learn to snowboarding. A part of me is excited about that (I used to love to ski) and a part of me is dreading it.  I love that he wants to do fun stuff like this. He is extremely loving and extremely affectionate and extremely emotional and extremely impatient. To sum him up... he is EXTREME. And I love him. And he is six. WOW.

He had a little birthday party for 6 friends on the weekend. To sum it up... LOUD and CRAZY and so much fun for Keaton. He yelled out of excitement pretty much the whole party. They just played all over the house and ate pizza and cake and made homemade icecream sundaes. Chloe kept asking when her party was and didn't quite understand all the fuss over JUST Keaton :) All in all, good party. Keaton was happy and it was fun to see how he plays with all his bestest friends from school.

Tonight we are taking Keaton out for chinese food. He is excited about that. I am taking a cake into his classroom in about 1/2 hour so I had better run.

Happy 6th Keaton. You make us really proud...just by being you.

Bow your head

I was telling Sarah yesterday about Keaton's special prayer he has been saying at the beginning of supper every night. He started requesting to do "pray time" the day of Rememberance Day. He'd been to school and went to the memorial ceremony and learned about War and Sacrafice and why we have Rememberance Day.

So... for the past month, at meal time... we start to eat and then K reminds us it is 'pray time'.

Then it goes something like this (in a very solemn tone):

Dear Lord.

People Died.

It is a sad day. People are sad. It is sad.

People died.

Amen.

===================

I'm guessing this is the prayer he'll say Christmas day also. God Bless his sweet little soul.

at three and one-half...

*she still hates the camera

*she sometimes makes shy and then other times is a wild animal

*she still loves her thumb and hair twirling

*her 'mostly companion' is Henry the Dog

*her favourite show right now is Elouise Christmas over and over and over and over

*she is finally potty-trained. wow, that was a long time comin'.

*her christmas song is "where are you christmas" by Cindy Lou Hou and you are not allowed to sing it while she is (or else!)

*she goes to gymnastics once a week and LOVES it. She calls it "STIX"

*she has the sweetest little lisp when she talks. She is very wordy and never runs out of 'conversation'.

*she is obsessed with 12 Dancing Princesses from Barbie and really wants Santa to bring her Twyla the cat. I think she will probably get her wish...she's been good this year - most the time!

*she is over the moon for all things puffy and pink. I bought her a Hanna Andersson tutu style skirt for Christmas dressy season and she wants to wear it NOW instead.

*she is most definetly daddy's girl... but the cuddles go to mommy.

*i think of her as a teenager ...and SHUDDER.

*she finds and gets into my sephora makeup at least every other day. She's got a lot of girlie girlie buried underneath that Ragamuffin look.

*she starts kindergarten in September and even though it is still 9 months away... I cannot believe my baby is old enough for that!

*she is a bit bossy. much to her brothers dismay.

*she is a bit of a candy-o-holic. prefers sour aligators, Dora gummies & Nana E's gum.

*she still sleeps in her crib.

*she'll always be my baby.