Toothless

Avi-girl lost a top-fronter!

New Glasses for Ella, Too!

Ella's all-plastic glasses have served her well, but she's really outgrown them. Her new glasses look a little big on her but will hopefully last!

You can see the girls' new dollhouse in the background!

Taylor's Investiture

Taylor has been subtly groomed by Daddy to be enthusiastic in regards to upcoming Cubs. :D Not that he needed much persuasion.

Taylor has been waiting to come of age for Cubs since earlier this year when he was invited to attend a Cubs airport "field trip." He started attending Cubs regularly since September and went through the investiture ceremony last Wednesday.

Mommy was most impressed that the boys stood decently still throughout the ceremony.

I love Taylor's little salute!

Mommy thought she was supposed to "tie" the scarf on--instead, there's a woggle.

Got it right! Now Mommy was told where all the badges go on Taylor's Cub shirt. Wha?! I have to sew?? (Not really--there is special sticky stuff you can get... Phew!)

It won't be too long until Taylor is hunching over me in pictures!

Footage of Taylor stating the Cub _______ (theme?):

First Day of School

My schedule this semester is such that I can send the kids off to school each morning! :)

This isn't Ella's first day but it's the one shot I got of her with the school bus.

It was the end of the day and she had been sleeping--she's quite groggy here!

Taylor's Baptism

Taylor's 8th birthday fell right on the Labor Day weekend this year. Since this is the best time to coordinate with American residents, Taylor was baptized on the very day he turned 8.

We took pictures of Taylor that morning to use on his baptism program (click here to view):

We didn't use this one but it's so cute!

Pre-baptism photo:

I am disappointed that we didn't get a family pic, including Grandma and Grandpa Harris! :(

Here are some pics from the "after party":

Some footage:

Averi's 6th Birthday

For Averi's 6th birthday (last Saturday), we went to Calaway Park. None of the pictures turned out very well but here's a video.



Shawn and I can't ride that thing but the kids love it!

Averi also had a friend sleepover the Friday night (Kaitlyn H).

On the Sunday, we had family over for cake and ice cream.

I used fruit to hide the mess I made of the cake. Averi wanted the ladybug-shaped cake pan but it did not like me.

My sweet baby!

Averi's Nails

I have an aversion to little girls with nail polish. Chipped or peeling nail polish is so tacky and little girls aren't exactly known for "maintenance."

That being said, Averi was devastatingly persistent about it. I eventually decided that this was one of those "don't sweat the small stuff" scenarios. I blackmailed bargained with her. If she stopped picking her nails for a couple of weeks, I would paint her nails.

Mission accomplished, of course!

I showed her how to clip (which she often attempts already), file, buff and paint her fingernails. I explained "two coats" and "top coat" and that it takes forever for it all to dry. A few nails still got messed up. ;)

Now Ella wants it. Devious me, I bargained with her as well. Every time she goes pooh on the potty, I'll paint one of her fingernails.

None yet. :(

Biking Companion

Ella is our most diligent and hardy biking companion. Shawn recently took her on a ride through Fish Creek park, which has some well known steep hills. Shawn can often make it up these hills on his own but it is more difficult when trailing a child. When he dismounted and asked Ella to do the same, she replied:

You did your best, Daddy!

This actually shows developmental improvement for her!!

Ella's 4th Birthday!

Finally posting pics and footage from Ella's 4th birthday!

We started the day with a trip to Calaway!

Ella has been anxiously awaiting this gift since Christmas!!

Her own LeapPad!

We had some family over for cake and ice cream!

Some footage (no video editing possible at the moment so it's raw!):

Happy Birthday, baby!!!

Letter to Grandma

Since my grandmother doesn't have a computer, I print my blog posts and send them to her once in awhile. It's been too long but I'm sending her what she's missed. I usually send along a letter and thought I'd include it here since it is a nice little update and I've been remiss in my posting.

Dear Grandma,

I was thinking that it’s been an awfully long time since I printed and sent my blog posts for your perusal! I should make it a New Year’s tradition…

I keep a document that indicates what dates I’ve already sent you and I can’t help thinking that I must have forgotten to record my last printout because the last date recorded was April 2011!! I’m pretty sure I’ve sent you more since then but just in case… Regardless, forgive any duplication!

A brief overview of our current status:

Finals at SAIT ended in April so I have been home for nearly a month! Catching up on some organization and certainly enjoying some free time! I like to make cards and research educational opportunities. I plan on getting a degree someday when the kids are older. If I get permanent employment at SAIT, then they will fund it! I enjoy instruction. It’s fast-paced and keeps me busy; no chance of getting bored!! I enjoy grading assessments and, as I get better, I hope to improve my methods!

I still work at the hospital part-time. Usually just Tuesday and Thursday evenings, as well as Saturdays.

Shawn is finishing up his 3^rd year plumber apprentice hours. He has registered for his 4^th and final term in September. After that, he takes his provincial and national exams. All that will be left to do after that is to complete his 4^th year hours. He is so excited to have this all done!! His income will improve and we’ll start contributing towards retirement again! Shawn really wants to get a better mountain bike (his current hobby) as well as a motorcycle. I hope to get a motorcycle one day, as well.

Taylor is nearing the end of grade 2. He seems to be enjoying school, in general. Averi goes back and forth about liking Kindergarten. Interesting since Kindergarten is really the most fun of all the grades! Taylor has his two big front teeth as you will witness upon our visit. The teeth on either side of his front teeth are coming in quite slowly so he’s had the appearance of a rabbit for some time! Taylor really enjoys building things with intricate pieces/parts that click together (called Knex). He also rides his very own bike since last year. Averi is also riding her very own two-wheeler as of this year. Ella really enjoys riding along behind one of the parents (as you’ll see in one of the blog posts).

Averi is the sweetest child ever! She reminds me of Eva when she was young. Averi’s only flaw is a propensity to whine. She’s slightly less honest than Taylor, but he’s a hard act to follow! Averi loves to sing and dance and doesn’t usually have stage-fright (whereas Taylor cannot tolerate an audience!).

Ella has some behavioral issues. She’s been seen by a pediatrician but that wasn’t helpful in the least except for a referral to the Early Childhood Mental Health Outreach program. Ella has her own case worker but, again, I’m not sure how effective it’s been. We keep considering a private assessment by a family psychologist group to see if Ella wouldn’t qualify for funding for her issues. As it is, I have registered Ella for “preschool” in the Fall at a school for kids with special needs. Her case worker suggests that Ella goes to a school with children that don’t have issues so that she has models of appropriate behavior. I see the logic and have been trying to find a program elsewhere (with little success so far).

Ella still refuses to potty-train. I have tried all sorts of things, though Dad did suggest a star sticker approach that was apparently used on us as kids. The problem is that Ella is not motivated by ANYTHING! She will simply have to decide that it is time. Unfortunately, Ella is far too BUSY to entertain toilet use. I have, of course, attempted to put her on the toilet every half-hour (she simply goes in between half-hours…), have disallowed TV unless the toilet has been used first, used rewards, etc. etc. to no avail. The one bit of progress that she has made is that she has started hiding when she has to go #2. At least she is recognizing the signs of impending defecation! I always catch her too late.

Ella turns 4 in a week and a half. She always seems to lag developmentally by about 6 months to a year behind average children. I have convinced myself that she will make up for this early torture later on in life. I look forward to it!

Look forward to seeing you and Dad and other family in Victoria in a month! Would love to take the kids to see the fireworks on Canada Day.

Love, Dana

School Portraits

I just realized that I forgot to post the kids' school portraits!

This is the first year we splurged on the kids' school pics. We decided on the Portrait CD so that we could create as many copies of whichever size that we wanted. Another advantage of this is that we get the photos in color, black & white, and sepia without having to manipulate anything ourselves.

Our sweet princess Kindergartener (who had lost her glasses at the time):

This was Averi's retake, and while we didn't choose the gray-brown background, I quite prefer it to the blue we chose for Taylor. Will have to remember this preference.

Our handsome 2nd grader:

A photo collage that I whipped up:

While it is doubtful that we will get pictures out by Christmas, please send me an email if you'd like any of these. Just indicate which version and what size.

First Day of School

Two kiddies in school, yippee!!

Tried to get the school name in the shot...

Unfortunately, the only sun to be had this time of day isn't at its best this time of year.

I tried to provide some shade for these shots...

Taylor's fine with his new grade two teacher, Mrs. Schmitt, even though he was sad not to have the same teacher as the last two years (Mrs. Aebli).

I'm familiar with Averi's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. White-Tucker, and her energetic creativity is a perfect match!

Ella's 3rd Bday Celebration

For Ella's third birthday, we got a strawberry-rhubarb pie and lemon cream cheese torte at Costco. Nontraditional but Ella's still too young to have a preference.

We celebrated at Grandma and Grandpa Nelson's home. There were a lot of family visiting because Shawn's cousin had gotten married that weekend.

I've been waiting for Ella to turn three FOR-EV-ER. I have been assuming that she would grow out of some crazy behaviors. Since she has not, and under the advice of 3 people who have children with disabilities (within one week!), we are having Ella assessed for behavioral or developmental issues. She's a very bright girl but extended family (and those who have followed this blog) will allow that she has more than her fair share of bizarre performances. (This comes to mind as well as the 2011 Swan family reunion sacrament table swan dive (@ Bear Lake) that I don't think I've shared on the blog yet.)

Some footage:

Cycling Dude

As I may have mentioned before, Taylor has been learning to ride a two-wheeler in the basement. Daddy took off the training wheels and away he went. It didn't take Taylor long to get over his trepidation [video below].



I promise that our first order of business this spring is to buy Taylor an appropriately-sized bike!

Embarrassed

Yesterday, Taylor's teacher called to let me know that Taylor had headed home later than usual due to a bathroom break. I decided to take Averi to meet him on the way home (Daddy had arrived home early and could watch Ella). We met him about halfway...

Taylor: Sorry I'm late.
Me: No worries. Your teacher called me.
Taylor: I know.
Me: It's good that you went to the bathroom before coming home so you didn't pee your pants again.
Taylor (eying a passing older child): Mom, you said that right when another kid was here.
Me (smiling a little): Did that embarrass you?
Taylor (matter-of-factually): Yes.
Me (smiling a lot): Sorry!

My boy's getting older! He was very calm about the whole thing but it's very easy to see one of the girls dramatizing it a bit.

Miss Independent

Averi decided she was too hungry to wait any longer for Mommy.

She pushed a bar stool to the counter (the way she does to get her own fishy crackers) and pulled out the peanut butter and Nutella from the cupboard. She grabbed 2 slices of bread from the bag that had been left on the counter from Taylor's lunch-making this morning. She retrieved a butter knife from the drawer and proceeded to make her very own sandwich!

She announced what she was doing to me at this point and so I hastened to give her a bit of help with the spreading but she was insistent about doing the majority of it herself. She then sat down and ate her entire confection (can't say that I find peanut butter and Nutella appetizing)!

You can bet that if I had made her a sandwich with a crust (heel of the loaf) and another dried piece of bread, she wouldn't be eating it! I was so excited by her show of initiative! ;)

Potato Turkey or Turkey Potato?

One of my Visiting Teaching sisters runs a two-mornings-a-week preschool. She already had maximum capacity but she trialed a morning with Averi and made an exception.

Averi's in Preschool!

She's been in since late September and loves it, of course.

Since Monday is (Canadian) Thanksgiving, Averi came home with a cute little potato turkey! Or would you say turkey potato?

It's a little worse for wear already...

Taylor's First Day of Grade One

I'm kind of disappointed in how the pictures turned out...  :(

I found these cute printouts on HowDoesShe. Since they're from the States, they say "First Grade" instead of "Grade One" which only bothered me a little at first. They're so cute that I can forgive foreign colloquialisms! ;)

You can see that Taylor let me do his hair for school!!

I get pouty when people get in the background of my shots...

 In the gymnasium being put into classes... Taylor got the same teacher he had last year (they're all moving up each year)! I'm sure that this will help him with the transition to full-time school. His teacher will also already know his strengths and areas that he needs to work on.

He even has the same classroom! His new velcro indoor shoes were purchased at an amazing sale and don't bother him!!!  ;)  Yippee!