The Prima Ballerina and the Princess

We are finally settling into a routine with school, and things like piano and dance.  Emma would join every team, sport, and club if I gave her the option but we have limited her to three.  She decided on choir for her third option.  She is such a social butterfly and enjoys every opportunity to learn something new and develop a new talent.  She is very excited about her Jazz/Ballet dance class that she started last week.  It is so rewarding to watch her become a little lady.

 

Our other little lady has been enjoying the quiet time that she gets in the afternoon after the older kids are in school.  She has made the switch from ponies to princesses in the last little bit and her three favorite things to do are read princess books, play with princess babies and Barbies, and watch princess movies. 

 

I love this picture so much, with her little foot resting on the pile of books that she still has left to look through.

Watching Mulan with her Cinderella baby.  Not sure why she's in a bucket or why she's so close to the television.

 

 

 

 

My Old Friend Pluto

Tonight, instead of the usual Funniest Home Videos because the new season hasn't started, the kids decided to watch old Pluto cartoons to wind down before bed.  We came across this one that I loved as a kid and still could remember so vividly.  The kids thought it was hilarious.  Thank goodness for youtube that still lets us watch these oldies but goodies.  They're so much better than some of the kids programming they have today.

Playschool Begins

It was Walker's turn to begin his school year this afternoon as he headed off to playschool with his dad.  The first day was an hour long parented class.  He was excited to have Allan go with him but was still feeling a little anxious about the new experience.  He's not quite the social animal that Emma is and would much rather be at home with me than...well, anywhere.  Allan said that he was well behaved and really enjoyed the stories and treasure hunt but was too timid to play during free time.  Hopefully he gets the hang of it quickly.

 

Unfortunately every single one of these pictures is out of focus.   CRAP!!  I was in such a hurry to get him there in time that I didn't check closely enough. 

He looked so cool in his new Batman shirt and Transformers back pack.

 

This is his "handsome man smile" but only "royal men" smile like this apparently.  Whatever that  means.

 

 

I asked him to tell me about his day so that I could post it on here and this is what he said...

 

"I had fun and I know that I'm too afraid.  Teacher Annette was nice to me and she was so excited for my school.  The End"

 

Just about sums it up.  I'm a little worried that I may have a difficult time getting him there on Friday.

Burnt Up Baby

The other day after turning the oven to 400 degrees I noticed a strange smell filling the kitchen.  I pulled the oven door open to find one of Lillian's poor baby dolls inside burning up.

Apparently I need to check the oven before turning it on just in case Lillian has decided that she needs to put her baby down for a nap in it...or buy a new one with a lock on it.

Grade Two Girl

Another school year began yesterday as Emma headed off to her first day of grade two.  She was very "nervousited", a word she learned from My Little Pony.  I wasn't nearly as heart broken this year as I was last year given that Walker and Emma have been at war since last week.  They spent the summer playing really well with one another but have had just about enough of each other.  Walker was more than happy to kiss Emma goodbye as she sat in her desk and couldn't get out of the school fast enough to spend some quality time at home all by himself with Lillian and me.   

 

Emma promised me that if she cut her hair too short for a ponytail that she would let me do it every morning without a fuss.  So far so good.

 

All primped and ready to go.  Her backup weighed almost as much as she does.

 

 

I was feeling really anxiety free until I looked at this picture of her again when I sent it to Allan and realized how nervous she really was.  Even looking at it now makes my stomach ache a little bit to think of how unsure she felt in her new surroundings.  So then I fretted and worried all day and counted down the hours until it was time to pick her up.

 

 

To keep ourselves busy Walker and I made the traditional chocolate chip cookies for Emma's return home and her after school snack.

 

 

And of course without his big sister at home he didn't have to share the beater.

 

Luckily when we picked her up she was beaming and told us what a "GREAT" day she had.  She loves her new teacher, Mrs. Smith, and is excited about all of the "cute grade oners" in her class that she gets to mother.  She's in a 1/2 split this year which I was a little concerned about but I think she'll do really well no matter where she's at. 

 

 

So here's to another year of learning and growing and changing!  I can't wait!!

 

 

  

Outdoor Adventures

We can't believe that summer is already coming to a close and that there are only 2 more sleeps until school will begin.  Emma is thrilled and can barely contain her excitement about grade 2 while Walker is feeling a little apprehensive about his first day of playschool next week.  So since my posts will soon be full of fall leaves and frost I thought I'd better get a few more pictures of our summer adventures up.

 

After my week at Young Women's camp Allan and I made a goal to spend more time with our kids in the outdoors.  Not just playgrounds and dog walks but hiking and long bike rides.  Our first adventure was a "little" hike to the Fort Edmonton Foot Bridge and around Fort Edmonton Park.  I couldn't believe that in the 25 years that I've lived here I'd never been to the foot bridge.  The kids thought it was very cool and had fun watching the boats and canoes float by under the bridge.

 

Our stop on the bridge on the way to Fort Edmonton.

 

Snack break in Fort Edmonton parking lot.

 

On the way home, miraculously still smiling...but not for long.

 

 Unfortunately our little hike took longer than we anticipated and it turned into a VERY long one and by the end we had three very tired and miserable children on our hands.  We learned a few things after our first attempt at a family hike.

1) Research the route carefully beforehand

2) Bring a carrier for Lillian

AND

3) Pack pounds of snacks 

When we told the kids we had a hike planned for the following weekend both Emma and Walker started crying.  Luckily we've had some very successful hikes since then.

 

Emma learned how to ride her bike this summer and she has spent every free moment outside doing circles in our cul de sac.  We took a nice long bike ride to my parent's house one night and she was so pleased with herself.  Lillian and Walker love riding behind Allan in their little bike trailer.

 

 

 

Walker got a new bike as well this summer and he's comfortable enough to ride it on our walks with the dog now.

 

 

And of course every trusty bikes needs a good wash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walks and Locks

I find that as a mom I am always in a hurry to get to the next thing: the next errand, the next meal, the next chore, the next mess.  I often fail to allow myself and my children to take a breath and enjoy what's around us.  Even on our walks when we should be able to enjoy the beautiful weather and sights around us I still find myself urging "Come on, keep moving" or "can you stop dragging your feet like that" or "you've looked at that earthworm long enough".  One day quite a while ago when Emma was very little we went on a walk with my mom.  I couldn't help but envy the patient way she let our sweet, curious girl take her time with every bug and flower she came across.  She never rushed her or pushed her along with reminders of all of the things she had to get done for the day.  Maybe it's a Grandma thing or maybe just a Holly thing but I often times think back to that morning and try to bite my tongue when I want to rush the kids along on our walks.  The other day while the older two were busy at their cousin Ava's house I took Lillian on one of these unrushed, patient walks, something that I never get to do with her all alone.  And it did take A LOT of patience because every three feet she would stop and do this while pretending to snore.

 

After about the 15th time it took every ounce of will power I had not to throw her on my shoulders and run home.  But I reminded myself of how little these sorts of alone time moments occur and let her do her thing.

 

We spent another 10 minutes on this curb while she dipped her feet in the water.  In the end a walk around the block, literally, took us 30 minutes but I had a content two year old who felt like she had been the boss for a few minutes.

 

And while we're on the subject of Lillian, here are a couple of other goofy pictures of her at the playground.

 

Again pretending to sleep

 

She had spent most of the night before awake, so she actually may have dozed off for a few minutes.

 

And just one quick update.  The first thing Emma wanted to do when we got back from the wedding, especially after spending a full 90 minutes having her hair done, was cut off all of her long locks.

 

She went from this...

 

to this...

 

What a cute pair!!

 

She asked the salon to donate her horse tail of a braid and hasn't looked back since.  As an added bonus our relationship has improved drastically since I am no longer having to try to brush through her mane everyday.