Farewell 2016

Can't Get Enough of Santa

We have run into Santa 6 or more times this year.

Elliotte cannot get enough. 

Piper seems to be getting more shy

the more times she runs into him.

Today we were at our Mommy & Me gym

Christmas party.

Santa arrived.

Elliotte was the first one to run to him

and throw her arms around him.

She just glows when she is around him.

Piper stayed behind me

and kept her distance.

Then when they called for a group photo,

take one guess who ran for Santa's lap!

Of course!

xo

xo

💕

Yes. She claimed Santa's lap for the group shot!

Another little girl wanted her photo taken,
but you can see another VERY happy little girl on Santa's knee!!

Christmas Parties are Fun

We were invited to a 

"Families of the Military and RCMP"

Christmas party in Charlottetown. 

Being one of only 2 RCMP families that actually showed up,

it was really great to meet some new people.

A friend from high school sent me the invite,

as she is also living in the RCMP with her military husband.
It was wonderful to reconnect with her and celebrate with our kids!

xo
xo

This little one stole some of daddy's pizza,
while waiting to get her face painted.

Elliotte was first in line... of course.

A rare photo of me with my sweet girl. 

She asked to be a pink kitty cat.
She got her wish!

Piper chose to become a snow princess like Elsa. 

Christine and I.
Reunited after high school...
which we graduated from 5 years ago.
Or maybe a little more than 5 years...

Elliotte with Christine's eldest daughter, Kait. 

Elliotte was SO excited to see Santa.
While some kids (aka Piper) were reluctant to go to him
when their name's were called,
this little ham was the opposite.
When she heard "Elliotte" she RAN to him yelling, "Santa"!
:-) 

Piper and Kait on a rare moment when they weren't racing through
the inflatable bouncy obstacle course.

A funny face group photo!

And a sweet face photo.
Christine and I make beautiful little girls!

Reverse Advent Calendar

My kids are excited about Christmas.

They really are.

But they MUCH more excited about Nana and Poppy's visit. 

The countdown is on. 

They have started talking about all of the things 

they're going to do with them while they're here,

so I told them we could make a bucket list.

After a brief explanation of what that is,

they were on top of me demanding that I write faster!

So many fun things to do with Nana and Poppy!

Nana & Poppy Christmas 2016 Bucket List

1. Do some art projects

2. Make a mini movie theater in our house and watch Finding Dory

3. Make cupcakes with cherries on top

4. Eat treats: chips and chocolate

5. Make a pecan pie for Nana

6. Play outside in the snow

7. Visit the big airplane in Slemon Park

8. Go to Bass Pro Shop in Moncton and see the fish

9. Visit the bakery near our house for breakfast

10. Go to Charlottetown

11. Go the That Fun Place

12. Go swimming

13. Go bowling

14. Play Pie Face

15. Play play-doh

16. Colour

17. Dance while Poppy plays his guitar

18. Make homemade waffles for breakfast

19. Drive around after dark to see the Christmas lights

20. Play in the sand downstairs

Get lots of rest before you get here, Nana and Poppy!

You're going to be very very busy!

xo

xo

💕

My girls helped me make a Reverse Advent Calendar box.

Each day we cross of the date and add one food item for the food bank.

We will fill it until the day that Nana and Poppy arrive!!

Then the very next day, we will deliver our box to a food bank location together.
I love how excited my girls are about this idea.
We created the box a couple of weeks ago,
so it's overflowing already.
xo

No Fears = No Tears

With the exception of the parade,

we've had two encounters with Santa so far this year.

And both were amazing. 

Elliotte marches on up to him like he's an old friend.

Piper lags behind a little bit, 

but builds up the courage for a good chat

once she sees her happy-go-lucky little sister take the lead.

I was a proud mom,

but more importantly,

Piper was incredibly proud of herself!!

After our first chat with Santa, 

Elliotte walked away and exclaimed,

"Mommy! Santa talks!!!". 

Haha.

I guess she just thought he "ho ho ho's".

xo

xo

This first photo was a spur of the moment decision.
We didn't know Santa was going to be there,
so after the girls surprised me by being so brave,
I grabbed a very unexpected photo op and took advantage!

This one was more planned.
The girls got to have a lovely chat with Santa
and were SO happy about that.

Dolly Parton Updo

When your big sister does your hair...

xo

xo

💕

Try not to squish this face!

Dolly Parton would seriously be envious of the height
Piper achieved with this hairdo!  

And of course Piper had to add a little bling
to finish the look. 

Peacoat Pretty

All dressed up..

with somewhere to go.

Off to our neighbor's birthday party!!

The girls were super excited and had a great time.

So very happy that Sylvie and Caitlin

passed down their Sue Hill peacoats again this year. 

xo

xo

Fairy Tooth

A few months back,

Piper and Elliotte took a trip to the dentist.

Upon her initial examination,

Piper had wonderful teeth.

Then came the x-rays.

Apparently because her teeth are so close together,

some cavities started forming between them.

I felt terrible!

I should have been flossing her teeth!

I would have if I had thought it was necessary

at 2 and 3 years old,

but I didn't.

I failed.

I failed Piper.

After another check up a couple of weeks ago,

we discovered that even though we now floss 

almost every single night,

the cavities have grown. 

Our dentist recommended that we cap two of her teeth,

as there were cavities on both sides of them.

I agreed to which ever was the best option for Piper.

Today we received a call for her to have her first of three appointments.

I was a nervous wreck.

Piper had no idea what was about to happen,

so she was busy prepping for her appointment

by drawing a picture for Dr. Geri. 

(We were asked not to prepare her,

as the dentist has a game that she plays

and anything I might say to prepare her 

could cause more bad than good.)

So off we go to the dentist. 

Piper and I go inside.

Mark and Elliotte stay in the van and go to Superstore

Elliotte was crying because she wanted to see Dr. Geri too.

(This is a key element to part of this story. Take note!)

Once inside, Dr. Geri met us straight away. 

Piper put her drawing behind her back 

and says, "I've got a surprise for you". 

She then proudly pulls out the drawing and presents it to her dentist.

No fear. 

No shyness.

No hesitation.

The next thing I know,

she's marching off hand-in-hand with Dr. Geri,

leaving me in the waiting room.

Before she left, 

I made her promise not to have any fun.

She laughed and told me that she sure would.

And that was that.

I sat in the waiting room

unable to breath.

I was so scared for her.

Twice during the 40 minutes the receptionist stopped by

to tell me that they "weren't having any fun",

with a big smile on her face.

All was well.

When I was finally called into the room to see her,

she was smiling away and watching tv without a care in the world.

It was then that Dr. Geri had Piper ask me if I knew what was in her mouth.

Piper proudly declared that she was now the proud owner

of a FAIRY TOOTH!

It's a special shiny tooth

and when it falls out...

the tooth fairy pays EXTRA!

Piper was so proud and excited about it. 

This momma was so proud and excited for her!!

So so so so PROUD!!!!!!

After coming home, 

Piper acted as if nothing ever happened.

Totally nonchalant. 

No mention of it. 

Done.

ROCKSTAR!!!!!!!

Can you tell how proud I am???

Okay, but there is more to the story.

Let's go back to the part where Mark dropped us off at the dentist

and Elliotte started crying to see Dr. Geri.

Well Mark and I were both a little stressed about

what Piper was about to experience.

Add that to Elliotte's crying 

and neither of us noticed or heard the van beeping as I walked into the clinic.

It beeped because I had the keys in my jacket pocket.

Once Mark arrived at Superstore and turned the van off.

He said he realized immediately that I had the keys. 

Anyone who knows my husband,

knows that this is not something that he would laugh at.

Not for a long long LONG time.

Thankfully it was quiet at his office and a coworker was happy to go for a drive.

She stopped by to pick up the keys from me 

and deliver them to Mark at the grocery store.

Problem solved.

I chuckled.

Mark didn't.

Elliotte stopped crying. 

Piper did great.

I think it was a good day!

xo

xo

Drawing a picture for Dr. Geri.

Our kitty cat getting some laughing gas!

Proud of her Fairy Tooth!

This photo was taken at a playdate.
Elliotte found the safety googles,
put them on and announced that she was NONNY!

Officer Snow 2016

Officer Snow has made his 2016 arrival.

And my girls couldn't be happier!!!

xo

xo

Officer Snow and his backup!

Literary Loves

There's a whole lot of lovin' going on!!

First we have Elliotte and Zach.

Don't tell Daddy,

but Zach tried to steal a kiss at playgroup

during story time!!!

I can't get enough of watching those two together.

They were born just a few hours apart,

so it's really cool to watch how they interact,

being the exact same age!

Then we have Piper and Blue.

They have become such close buddies.

Piper LOVES to take care of him

and you can see the love in how he responds to her.

It's such a privilege to watch those two grow into such buds.

When Piper saw Blue laying in our living room yesterday,

she immediately knew that he wanted a book read to him.

Isn't he lucky to have a little girl to read his mind?!

The best part was watching him watch her.

He would stare at her little face while she 'read' the story

(she has it memorized)

and then would look at the book as she turned each page. 

It was as if he was truly paying attention!!

Love!

Love!

Love!

xo

xo

💕

Going in for the kiss!

If you look closely,
you will see a smile on Elliotte's face!!!

This says he needs a story, right?! 

He looks pretty happy if you ask me!!

Our Mini Minivan

Today I was working around my house and

talking to my mother on the phone,

while listening to my little girls play in our front room.

At one point I passed through the room they were playing in,

only to discover them sitting like this.

I asked what they were doing

and Piper exclaimed that they were driving to the store.

I asked if they were in a train. 

She said no, they were in a minivan.

That's when Elliotte happily announced that her baby

was sitting in the back in a booster seat!

Sure enough!

She was.

I love the imaginative play that these two come up with together!

Well, 

most of the time.

NOT all of the time.

Two days ago Elliotte was acting a little off.

She was whining for no reason

and just wasn't her happy little self.

We were outside playing, 

yet nothing was making her happy.

She'd jump in the leaves for one minute

and then want to get into my arms.

She didn't want to swing or play.

So we decided to go for a walk. 

The girls climbed into the wagon 

and Mark, Blue and I set off.

Part way through the walk,

Elliotte starts screaming at Piper.

I look at Piper and she is holding her fist to her ear,

smiling back at her sister.

I ask what is happening.

Elliotte tells me that Piper took her 'phone'. 

I ask Piper to please give it back to her.

Piper tells me that it's her turn because Elliotte already had a turn.

Elliotte screams louder at this. 

I take another 'phone' out of my pocket and pass it to Elliotte.

Elliotte folds her arms over her little chest 

and sulks that she doesn't want THAT 'phone', 

she wants HER 'phone'. 

At this point arms and legs start flailing

and the screaming escalates. 

I take the 'phone' away from Piper.

Then I take a 'phone' out of each of my pockets. 

I give one to Piper telling her that this is her 'green phone'. 

I give the other to Elliotte telling her that this is her 'purple phone'. 

All is well and there is peace in the wagon for a few minutes.

A few short minutes.

Then the screaming starts again.

Elliotte tells me that Piper took her 'purple phone'. 

And this is the point when Mommy lost her s**t. 

If you haven't noticed the quotation marks around the word 'phone',

they are there for a very good reason.

It's because there never ever was an actual phone.

They were all imaginary. 

The initial fight started over the first imaginary phone.

Then the three others came into play.

All.

Over.

Nothing.

Air. 

They were fighting over AIR!

So yes, while some imagination play is fun to watch,

other parts of it are very not.

xo

xo

Off to the store in their three-seater minivan. 

I"m not sure how safe it is for Boots to be in the very front,
but at least he's in his cot and not climbing around the front seat!

World Prematurity Day

Today is World Prematurity Day.

A day to bring awareness to the world

about how many babies are born prematurely each year.

And about how many of those babies

would not survive if it were not for the

care of hospital staff 

and advancements in medical studies. 

If you go back to my third blog post ever,

you get to meet Piper Cee.

Born at 35 weeks and weighing less than 6 pounds.

(She was just over 5 pounds when we brought her home

from the hospital.)

Today Piper is a happy, healthy and very tall four year old,

who celebrated this day by registering for kindergarten!!!

Mommy, Daddy and little sister couldn't be more proud!

xo

xo

Just yesterday!
Our preemie helped rake up those leaves
and then had a blast jumping in them!

Autumn Awesomeness

My girls find joy in the best places.

Party hats,

microphones, 

and leaves. 

Oh yes to the leaves!

xo

xo

Old Worlds Collide

Another oldie that I haven't posted yet.

Back on August 26th,

while visiting Newfoundland,

I was fortunate enough to visit with an old friend.

She was a lovely and wonderful friend from Fort McPherson,

who became like family while I was living there.

Martina worked as the secretary at Mark's detachment 

and helped us settle into life

in the great white north.

She just so happened to be visiting Newfoundland with her sister

the same time that I was,

so I felt incredibly lucky to meet her and her sister

for breakfast one day!

Goodness, I miss this lovely lady!

I'm already looking forward to the day that we an meet again!

xo

xo

Margaret, Mom, Me, Elliotte, Piper and Martina!!

Hay Day

This is an oldie from October 7th 

that I haven't shared yet.

We visited Kool Breeze Farms 

for some fun on the hay.

The girls have such a blast there every year!!

xo

xo

Movie Date

Today was a movie date kind of day!

The girls were super excited.

We went into the theatre to get our seats,

then we went back out into the main area

to wait for our movie dates

(Sylvie and Caitlin)!

Before we left our seats to go wait for them,

Elliotte looked at me and asked in a very serious voice

if we could please come back to these seats again.

I think she thought the excitement of visiting the cinema

was to sit in those seats, 

eat a little bit of popcorn 

and then leave.

Haha.

So cute.

She was über excited to find out

that we'd be sitting in those seats for the next 2 hours!

The movie was fun,

but a little bit scary.

I ended up watching with Elliotte on my lap

and Piper attached to my arm.

I wasn't sure how they were feeling about the show,

until it was over.

As soon as the lights came on,

Elliotte asked if we could please watch another show

and Piper immediately started planning our next movie date.

I would consider that a success!

xo

xo

In The Wild

We all love seeing photos of animals in the wild.

In their natural habitat,

doing what they normally would do.

Here are my girls.

In their natural habitat,

doing what they normally do!

xo

xo