ho ho holiday

I didn't have the camera on hand for much of Christmas so only have a few random videos and photos to share. 

Playing in aka eating the snow on Christmas Eve.

Elliott's favourite word/sign for 2011 - "more".

Christmas day dance off - love all the lights of the season.

 Ready set go.

My Betty Crocker Christmas.

The Boxing Day blondes.

Me trying out Carter and Lydia's four-wheeler.

What toy can compete with snow?

I don't want to get too sentimental but I do have many hopes for the New Year. I intend on using the last few days of 2011 to reminisce and plan for the next 365. What do you plan to do? What to do you plan to do different?

All my love. Aimee

once upon a time

Well the season has come to a close and I am again behind in blogging. The tree and stockings came down yesterday and as if on cue the snow too is all gone. We have many new toys and much yet to rediscover from the big day(s).  For the most part Elliott was uninterested but Kate, though overwhelmed enjoyed herself, her cousins, grandparents and goodies - sugar and gifts.

There were a few themes this year - sparkles, lights, Cinderella, or in the case above, a combination of the three.

I only have a minute but will soon follow up with a few more photos and likely a video or two.

XOXO aj

dear santa take 2

Dear Santa,
Please note this is my Mama typing as I am only two, quickly going on three or is it thirteen? Anyway Santa, my Mama and Papa overheard a new Santa request today while I was Skyping with Grampie. I would now like an ipod. A blue one.  If you're like my Papa and want to know what I plan on doing with it well I'm going to turn it on. What then? Well I'll turn it off.

Yours truly,
Kate Bronwyn Jorgensen

P.S. I would like to know if you're going to pick up my puppy while you're here. Oh and my apologies for being the ONLY child at my school today who would not sit on your lap and thus being the ONLY child to NOT receive a candy cane. Tough break for me. Mama and Papa see a few of those in my future.

bakin'

Today's Christmas activity? Baking. It was actually the first time Kate and I baked together. After today's activity I could see Ritalin in our future.  I tried to keep telling myself she's only 3-ish. She's only 3-ish. I can say she is a very committed cookie eater if not a baker/decorator.

 Decked out; ready to go.

Rollin'

 Kate is very generous when it comes to sparkles.

This is a shot of Kate using her fingers to pick up the cookies in order to put them on the spatula and then in to  the cookie jar.

 Ta Da!

Six sleeps and much love to all.  The Sugar Cookie Gals.

Our baby daddy

It's a boy for our boy.  I wish I could say that no animals were harmed in the making of this video but I'm not positive. I do know for sure that Finnegan is going to be a tougher dog as a result of growing up with Elliott. And that both Kate and Elliott are going to be tougher kids for growing up with Finnegan. Each gets their knocks in but also their cuddles and in this case their turn in the stroller.

Cheers - aj

our house

Kate got busy decorating her first gingerbread house today. I'm afraid to say she was more interested in eating the treats than decorating the house. I had to bribe her with one mega treat if she could make it to the end of the craft without contracting diabetes. All in all it was pretty fun and even successful. Check it out.

 It's a icy day in our little place.

 Can you spot Kate's two snowmen faces on the roof?

So I honestly did my best NOT to art direct my little lady the same could not be said of our photo shoot. She wanted to ensure that I capture this exact spot of icing.

It's feeling a lot like Christmas. aj

introducing finnegan sparkles jorgensen

Before you say anything or silently judge, please know that we realize our track record with four legged friends is not great. With that said, we felt like the time was right for our family. OK enough explaining. Here is the newest addition to our family...

Finnegan Sparkles Jorgensen. A nod to our old CBC friend and a nod to Sparkles - Kate's favourite accessory. He's 10 weeks and a pug terrier cross. Oh and he's quite a doll.

 The kennel became a quick favourite with the kiddies.

Mama Kate and her baby, that sometimes goes by the name of Buzz Lightyear. Kate will sit for hours like this, holding her baby and feeding him a bone.

Last night we let the two hooligans fall asleep together. It's love.

Elliott also loves Finnegan. It's a rougher sort of love though - think headlock with a French kiss. Elliott is really the reason Cody went looking for a dog. When in Calgary and Mexico Elliott had dogs everywhere and he has become dog crazy.

It's been a busy week with Finnegan, but a fun one. He's crazy about the kids - following them everywhere. Then when they hit the sack he's pooped. Perfect!

So that's the big news.
Cheers! aj

playing catch up

First of all, I know this entry is way past due but I'm feeling crazy busy.  We got home late Tuesday night and it feels like we've been running around nutty since. We're a week behind in Christmas prep oh and there is a literal mountain of laundry on my bed that moves to the floor each night.

A quick synopsis of our trip South. Kate had a wonderful time with her cousins, Aunts and Grandparents. Elliott - he had a rougher trip. He got sick, didn't sleep much, wasn't a huge fan of swimming or the beach or at least not the sand in his eyes. We've decided he was a little young. We adults had great food, great margaritas and just perfect sunny warm weather.

Staying in El Nogalito a little village outside of Puerto Vallarta made for a fun and authentic visit. The chickens, dogs and our adopted cat Annabelle were the highlights for the kids. And my cousin Olivia's kids Elizabeth and Noah were master lizard and crab hunters by the end of their visit.

A couple pics...

 Grandpa George calling for more tequila!

 My babies in the womb of the hammock.

 My girl and me pool side.

 Kate and her crazy cousins Elizabeth and Noah.

Grandma Sherri saving Elliott from the treacherous cliffs of a local restaurant/master margarita maker. Literally I went there twice, had a margarita each time and had to go home and pass out for an hour each time.  Thank goodness for Grandparents with higher alcohol tolerances!

Thanks to all my family who helped in so many ways these past few weeks. I couldn't have done it without you. Looking forward to future, simpler vacations with older kids. Disney Cruise anyone?

Now for Christmas in Moncton...

I really thought this was the year that Kate would be into decorating the tree with me. She was very interested in the decorations but sported each shiny ornament as a bracelet. It was tough I would put an ornament on the tree and a second later she had it off and part of her collection.  The ones that were lower and too dull for Kate, Elliott quickly possessed. Anyway the tree is now decorated - at least the mid and top sections. It's beautiful and the kids are in awe of it each morning as am I. Some things never get old.

Kate is slowly warming to the idea of this guy named Santa Clause. We've been reading The Night Before Christmas and she received a video message from Santa last night that she is taken with.  She has watched it several times and has subsequently had several questions about the logistics of the evening.

Okay so there's a quick update. More news to follow very soon.
Happy Holiday planning and prepping!
xoxo CAKE

ola

A quick ola that is. The days are heaven but the nights hell - hence the reason for a very quick post - I have to get to bed. The kids and I have not been sleeping well. All three of us in one room, squeaky doors, dogs barking, Grandpa using the coffee grinder and roosters crowing makes for many sleepless hours thus far. Oh Mexico.

So the update: The kids did very well on the flight to Mexico even with a four hour departure delay due to frozen toilets. It was a very long day. We have been exploring El Nogolito, the mountain village where we're staying as well as the pool and the grounds of the house. The kids are having a blast although I have to admit that Elliott does cry a lot. Kate is in love with her cousin and wants to know where he is all the time. Tomorrow morning we're heading to the beach for the first time. It's hot so it's got to be a morning visit before the heat of the day. We are drinking tequila, eating guacamole, chasing chickens and taking public transportation. In other words, we're just keepin' it real.

Here's just a couple pics (it's taking a long time to upload) and lots of love from me and the sun bums. Special kisses to you Papa.

 Elliott and one of the many chickens that jump through the gates to our yard daily.

 Aidan making art with his art. Check out the vegetation in the background.

 Me and the sun bums - literally. Kids seem to gravitate to their natural, naked selves in the sun.

Kate waiting for Aidan to join her for another jump in the pool.

Adios amigos!

dear santa,

I thought I better write early in order to give you a heads up and time to prepare for my Christmas wish list. It seems to be growing daily. Last week I told Aunty Candace I wanted a roller coaster and a puppy. Those asks still stand. I would however like to add 2 things: a chainsaw like Papa only with sparkles; last but not least a phone, and yes you guessed it a sparkly phone.

I have been very good girl and am nicer and nicer to my little brother. I promise.

Love, 

Kate Bronwyn Jorgensen

a note to my teenaged kids

Dear Kate and Elliott,
If Mama ever complains about you being lazy teenagers and wasting the day away as you sleep past 9 then 10 then 11 - please remind me of these days of my life - and I promise to shut up and enjoy every moment. Love Mama

Needless to say my babies are not sleeping here at Aunty and Uncle's - at least not at night.  They seem to have adjusted to a Calgary bedtime but are still on a Moncton wakeup. Which means Mama and Elliott up at 3 am sneaking around looking for breakfast - then by the time I get him back to sleep Kate's up and we're working on a  am second breakfast. Yikes.

In other news my extreme anxiety over our flights out here were in vain - almost. It was a very trying 8 hours but there were no fits from either so I am super pumped. The guy who sat in front of Kate - less so. If she opened her tray table up once it was 120 times. He didn't complain until deplaning and even then he wasn't too snarky. I wish I could say that I would have been the same pre-kids but I probably would have at least given the new me an evil hate filled eye.

Upon deplaning Kate was very happy to see her cousin Aidan and Grandma Sherri. Since then they both have been a tornado of activity and chatter. Elliott over night has turned into a wild man - climbing everything! They're both digging all Aidan and the Bedard ladies' toys. Kids do love toys.

In short aside from the sleep we are having a great start to our trip. We love you and miss you Papa. Kate picks up lots of toys and tells me that she's going to show you them and have you fix all the toys that are broken or missing batteries.

A few pics...

 Sleepy time with Aunty. Upon closer examination I believe Aunty is in her undies. Ooops.

 Our musical men.

Jessie quickly found a replacement cowboy hat here in cowtown.
xoxo aj

court side

We took over our Court yesterday when our favourite lady friends Ruby and Laurie came over to enjoy the gorgeous afternoon. The kids literally spread out over the entire cul de sac.  They were so content making tracks and enjoying the final days of Fall.

 Whose kids are those?

 Ruby and her fancy road kill. 

The babies. Who admittedly are looking less and less like babies. 

Two more days until we're off. It's tough packing for three people for three weeks and possibly three different seasons. I am trying to pack as light as possibly so please excuse me if I'm wearing the same thing daily. 

Ciao, aj

bye bye kate

We said bye to Miss Kate today as she's headed to PEI with Grammie Donna for a few days. Three sleepovers with Grammie and the cousins. Good luck guys! Have fun babes. It's been less than an hour and the house is already too quiet.

So the countdown is officially on again - eight days until the kids and I are off to Calgary and then Mexico. I am totally terrified of the travel and the sleeps. Kate has been having a terrible time sleeping through the night and Elliott is in full teething mode again. Hopefully I will be too drunk to notice. Kidding! All totalled Cody will be wife and kid free for just over three weeks. So I ask, who is on holiday? His diet will suffer but not likely his intake of television and restful sleeps.

I just downloaded our a video of our entire night trick or treating this past Monday. If you have the time I thought you might enjoy it.

So that was it, roughly 30 seconds. We made it next door and then Kate announced "All done I want to go home." There was no talking her out of it. We were bummed out, but that's where we headed. Luckily we didn't get too many trick or treaters so we could at least eat our own candy if not the kids'. Can't wait to show it off in Mexico.

Cheers everyone -see you westerners super soon. xoxo aj

happy 75th

Happy birthday CBC. Radio one and now two have been the backdrop sound to my whole life and now my babies' lives. It may sound silly but I love you.

so this is halloween

We woke up this morning to the first snowfall of the year. Fun in theory. Kate couldn't wait for Elliott to wake so we could go outside but once he was up - whewf - not that much fun after all.

So I try not to complain too much - at least on this blog - but today is sucking big time. I was awoken to Elliott's tears at 2am then again at 4am. He wouldn't be settled at 4 so that's when my day began. Kate joined us around 20 after 5. Currently Elliott's on his second nap of the day but Kate and I are operating on nearly empty. So back to my opening. When E woke from nap #1 we got dressed in snowsuits and headed out. Need I say more? Any mother knows exactly what I'm talking about. Snow pants! Boots! Mitts! Oh my! I started with Kate and as I was in the thick of it I looked over to see Elliott playing and spraying the germs of the toilet brush all over the bathroom. Super awesome.  Fast forward 7 minutes and we were outside. Mama had to stick close to Elliott because when he falls (and he did often) that poor little beached whale is stuck.  A boy who adores the out of doors hated the full getup. Long story short we were back in muddy and wet within 40 minutes and it's been a stream of tears and runny noses for the rest of the day. Did I mention it's only 20 after 2?

We did have a great time on the island this weekend though. The party was fun; Grammie's house for a sleep over was fun. Our stay was shortened however when a storm hit and we had to head home early.
So forgetful me - here's one of the only shots of the weekend (cute though!)...

And then this morning...

So, despite my rocky start I do wish a Happy Halloween to all our favourite ghouls and goblins. I was really looking forward to heading out with the whole family tonight but now I'm actually reconsidering.

And a special shout out to Aunty Candace and her sore nose. And to Papa and his sore heart.
Love you both very much. Aimee

chocolate breath

Halloween has officially begun with Kate's preschool party this morning.  She woke in a grumpy mood but when she saw her outfit for the day she lit up and was even super sweet to her brother.

When I picked her up after preschool this morning she actually had chocolate breath. It's strange when you no longer have control over your kids and their diets. Why not serve two year olds chocolate bars and juice before 11 am? Especially when you hand them over to their parents to deal with the sugar high and ensuing low. Like her Mother and possibly her Father she definitely loves sugar.

Here's our little Jessie this morning. Aaah I love it.

And here's a few more colourful shots from yesterday ...

 Look at this colourful critter. I absolutely love this shot.

We're off to the island for a little party at Aunty's. Poor Aunty Candace has to miss trick or treating due to a some nose surgery. Ouch. I bet she will look good and spooky to answer the door on Halloween night if she can stand being upright.

Have a spooky Halloween pre-weekend everyone! AJ, Jessie and a little Martian from Pizza Planet

spooky

The spirit of Halloween is definitely upon us. Kate has been in her costume for weeks already. I hid it away a few days ago to ensure there are still a couple of sparkles left on it for the final ghostly activities.

Kate got a spooky or should I say annoying card in the mail this week from Grandma Sherri and Grandpa George.  Thankfully it's almost worn out but there is a rumour one is still coming in the mail for Elliott. Super awesome. This video is really for my Mom and Dad. I didn't catch the first few plays so this kind of comes across as a disingenuous reenactment. Cheers guys.

Elliott has been dressing up too...

 He loves this cow headband and repeatedly asks for it on.

Here he is as a little bear. So sweet.

Well it's Saturday and we really don't have any plans. We'll likely just get out and enjoy the beautiful Fall weather. You?

xoxo the gang

down

Elliott is working on mastering walking down our stairs. It's a little stressful because he does insist on walking. With that said, it's not as stressful as just hanging out with him these days. He's crazy or clumsy or maybe it's just that he's a boy. It's just that his head takes a beating and yesterday was the worst ever. The two kidlets were in the garden playing in the dirt when thump Elliott went head first into the house's brick siding. BLOOD. So much so, that Kate was screaming louder than Elliott. And anyone who knows me knows I'm not all that awesome in the face of injuries either. But I did kind of keep my cool. His eye was filled with blood, his face; it was tough to tell what exactly had been cut. Luckily it was only his forehead and after a clean up and bandage application we were off to MyGym. The only thing is, he banged his head several times while there and one of those times was totally my fault. My nerves were so raw by the end of our playtime that we had to stop by at the grocery store to buy a box of cookies that I self medicated with upon arrival home. It was that or alcohol and it was only 1:15. Good news though, we had such a trying morning that all three of us passed out in the afternoon. That's the first time in probably over a year that we have all managed to sleep at the same time during the day. As a result the kids were so sweet and friendly last night; we hardly recognized  Kate.

Back to Mr. Stairs - here he is...

We love how much Elliott is in love with all the Halloween decorations in the house. He literally gets that excited every time he sees them.

Have a great end of week. CAKE

sweet ride

On Saturday Cody took in our bikes for the end of year tune ups, while at his favourite bike shop he came upon this very aggressive tricycle. Lately we've noticed that Kate having trouble riding her trike because she's pretty much outgrown it - so Saturday afternoon Cody sent me and Kate to try out the possible upgrade.  The bike guys laughed at me because let's just say it was a lot of bike for a two year old. In fact it is intended as an adult toy. I bought it anyway. So while it was being serviced and sized down Kate actually came upon this two-wheeler (with training wheels). She literally jumped on it and was gone. Long story short the trike turned out to be too tall for Kate so we did a quick exchange and we now have a wheelin' two year old. It's official, she's in love. In love with her Little Mermaid Norco and its sidekick - speed. Not that you'll see any speed in this video.

Not one to be outdone by his sister - here's E.

Have a grand week y'all. We have some distances to cover.
 aj

thanks cousins

We had a great day in and out of doors yesterday with the cousins, Aunty, Uncle and Grammie. Unfortunately I didn't remember to break out the camera until pie time so that's how this year will be commemorated...

Today is another gorgeous day here and the kids and I have been making our usual rounds with one new addition. Kate received a big treat this weekend - a big girl bike - a two wheeler with training wheels. She's hooked! So we've been biking a lot since Saturday evening. Stay tuned for the video!

Happy Monday Thanksgiving. AJ