My sporty 3 year old -Oct 14

My first born is three and he is such a delight right now. 

We took a break from gymnastics an have been taking him to Sportball class this session. It sounds fun and he is loving it! It is a Dad and Me class so  I haven't been able to take him, and there isn't a lot of room for E and I to go watch. 

C noticed he was lacking in "natural sport talent" so we've been working on it. 

We have a soccer ball but with the busy summer, we isn't play much. 

We decided for his birthday we would get him a basketball hoop. 

Just like our little play house in the basement, we figured we could leave it in the house for the winter and still get some exercise. 

He seems to love it. He and Daddy played for hours. Great energy burn before bed! 

Also, in keeping with the sports theme this year, he got a kids sized baseball gloves with soft balls from his uncle K and also a self pitching and t-ball machine from his great aunt W. 

He seems to be loving all these sports, thanks to Sportball I think. 

Thanksgiving - Oct 9

I love, love, love Thanksgiving.
Maybe it is because it feels like the first start to holiday season, maybe it's the turkey or maybe it's really the stuffing, either way, I love it. 
I had completely forgotten about Thanksgiving last year. Maybe I blocked it out of my mind. It was lovely, jut very busy and I had recently had major surgery. 
Recap: J caught strep throat Thursday, we had a lovely wedding to attend Saturday (poor J missed out), Chris and I were both part of another gorgeous fall wedding Sunday, a birthday party on holiday Monday, and turkey dinner at my mom's Monday night. Oh, and, I had just had a baby by c-section, 10 days earlier!! I wouldn't have changed a thing, but it did cause me a lot of sleepless nights leading up to E's birth. 

This year, we had a lovely relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. 
Cousin EL's birthday party, a trip to Jurassic Forrest and a family dinner at my sister's new house. 
The little girls had a fun time playing together. 
E took her first steps! First few and then a few more, then a whole bunch. It was amazing ... and no one had a camera! 
I was the spotter, I couldn't take pictures. 
Either way, it's amazing. and. now my little monster is mobile.... 
Heaven help me.

J's special day - Oct 9

We had planned to, for the second year in a row, take J to Jurassic Forrest for his birthday. We invited a few friends and family to join us. 
This year, Jurassic Forrest closed a few days earlier than last year and so we had to make a last minute plan to go a few days early. We were lucky a some family and friends were still able to join us with the date change.
It was very surreal to remember that E was so tiny the last time we took J for his birthday. This year, she was able to sit in the wagon, eat snacks and enjoy herself. I love seeing my kids growing up! 

The boys were so excited!

Grandma and Grandpa 21 and a bunch of their grandkids.

The dinosaur gang.

E looks so tiny walking beside adults.

Yay. J is 3. Happy (early) Birthday mini man!

Happy Birthday sweet cousin EL - Oct 8

Have I mentioned our "birthday month?" Our "21" family has 6 birthdays in 2 weeks.
Grandma 21 is born at the end of September, my baby girl EC is the next day, uncle K is the 10th, J and cousin AL share a birthday a few days later (a year apart) and then finally cousin EL is born 2 days after JD and AL. A busy busy month, especially since that is 4 related kids, all needing time for birthday parties within 2 weeks. Keeping up? It's busy and confusing when trying to protect kiddies confidentiality.
Cousin EL had her birthday party a week early this year. 

                                                                            3 cousins. 

My EC, Cousin AL and Cousin EL (born 2 days apart). 

The craft table was a big hit. 

Cousin AL

Our newest cousin SM

Birthday girl.

Happy Birthday sweet little EL.

Cousin ER loves my baby girl EC. 

These boys are crazy! Just running at each other with flailing arms and balloons. 

 Fun! 

The Rainbow Cake - Oct 7

So, have you heard of Pinterest? 
More about Pinterest on another post but lets just say, I LOVE IT! 
I was feeling adventurous after a night of Pinteresting. 
I found this link 
Rainbow Cake in a Jar tutorial
So, I attempted to make this for J's birthday. Luckily I started early! 
It took a few attempts to get the cooking timing correct, but eventually (after 3 tries) it worked! 

White cake mix, divided and coloured with food colouring. 

We did our best to layer the colours in rainbow fashion.

Ready to go in the oven. Small amount of water (1/4") in the bottom of the pan. 

Done! About 40 minutes later. 

We put the lids on when they cooled and froze them. They were finished with whip cream and rainbow sprinkles. 

The kids loved them. They were a huge hit. I wish I had a "final" picture. 

Millenium Place - Oct 4

We took advantage of our Millennium passes one chilly night we needed to burn some energy off the kids. 
It was great. After dinner, the place was almost deserted. 
Because both both C and I went, I didn't have to worry about either kid escaping or getting into trouble alone. 
J really enjoyed climbing the wall and trying to touch all the letters. 
E practised her standing and crawling. Lots of room to play. 

Best part? They slept so well!

Sleeping beauty - October 2

Remember this? http://annaburly.blogspot.com/2011/04/sleepy-girl-april-3-2011.html


Well, my littlest one still sleeps fully covered by her baby blanket, and if not fully, than just her head will do. 

Crazy. 
I do go and uncover her face. 
Luckily it is a light blanket. 

Boys - Oct 1

These two boys are just so cute together. 

Cousins. 

One year - Sept 29

Just born. September 29, 2010. 8:32am 5 lb, 15oz. 17" long.

One month old

Two months old

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

One year old!! 

Special Birthday Day- Sept 29

My baby girl is one. ONE. I can hardly believe it. This year went by way faster than J's first year. 
As horrible as it makes me feel that she is one and soon-to-be no longer a baby, I'm elated we have a healthy, active, almost toddler. 
She is a pure joy. 
For J's first birthday, C took the day off and we went to West Ed and rode the free little kid rides. They are free under the age of 3. There's not a tonne of rides but enough for an under 3 year old. 
We did the same for E today. She loved it. I wasn't sure how she'd do without J there but she was great and seemed to love the attention. She brought Elmo along for the ride, he seemed to help her stay calm to begin with. 

We did a little bit of shopping. Elise picked out a "Jack Skellington" doll to match her "Sally" from the new Disney Store. I can't wait until she is bigger to appreciate how pretty that new store is! 
J had a great afternoon playing at Grandma 21's house with cousins E&E. 
We had dinner at Montana's in the Park. It was a Thursday, so it wasn't too busy. They let you colour on that table and they have ice cream for dessert, so it's pretty much my kids favourite place. 

C and I had a great day spending time with our birthday girl and showering her with attention. 

Back to work - Sept 2011

I realize, as I try to catch up on my blog posts, that I have a lot less stories and pictures since returning to work. 
I work just half time. It's a nice balance, I'm at home more than I'm away. It's a nice break to recharge and have adult conversation that doesn't involve talk about baby poop. 
But, it does mean that I am trying to get a weeks worth of stuff into less days. 
Now the moving and unpacking is mostly finished, it's nice to get a few minutes while E naps and J eats lunch to catch up on some of my own things. 

Halloween Pictures - Sept 23

In another life, I had free time. 
I enjoyed using my free time for crafting and scrapbooking and most especially, card making. 
I had toyed around with the idea of sending out Halloween cards this year but have since realized that will not happen. 
None-the-less, I still enjoy trying to get a good seasonal picture of my kids, just in case I was able to find the time. 
With J and E's birthday's very close, I am able to reuse a few seasonal jammies.  
I bought J the bigger size of the ones I had and to them both dressed up before bed. 
Here are a few pics that will unfortunately not make it into a card this year. 

Adorable.