Christmas day 2007. So much to be grateful for.

First on the list would be family.

Jade is a treasure. She is growing into a young woman and a good big sister which is not always an easy task. She is trying so I can't ask for more than that.

Nathan, with his twinkle and mischievous ways is keeping us shaking our heads and smiling.

Darren is truly the love of my life. He has a quiet way of doing what is right and of taking care of those that he loves.

Lot's of gifts and lot's of family and friends over the holiday. I am feeling blessed to have life so good. The people that surround us are all great and the circle is getting bigger.

Who will win the battle. This week it is feeling like us against them. "Us" being Darren and myself and "them" being the kids. Crazy week...maybe it is the excitement over Christmas...I am not sure but the kids are getting into lot's of trouble.

Keeping with the theme of gratitude I can honestly say I am very grateful for Nathan's preschool teachers. When I have a rough day with him they listen, offer advice and reassure me that "Yes, he is a normal little three year old boy". It is great to also meet with other parents at the preschool that are going through similar challenges. I think we quickly forget the issues that occur at every age and then when we are going through them it feels like we are the only ones. Thankfully we are not!

The picture above is of Steph and Shelley...two other preschool Mom's and now good friends.

Thursday December 6th

I am a little late posting about last Thursday but it is definitely worth mentioning. Both kids went to school and Darren took the day off from work. We spend the day together doing some of our favourite things. We started with a long walk exploring in the woods; it was beautiful, snow on the ground and the sun shining. We had lunch at "the Works" and the food was fantastic. Mike and Roberta also had the same lunch plan so we were able to get two tables together. After lunch we headed downtown to do a little shopping and then on to the Nordik spa. Helen and Garry took care of the kids after school so we were able to really have a full day together. Excellent, excellent day!

I went snow shoeing for the first time today. Lot's of fun and a great workout. I ended up going for longer than I planned. I dropped Bear's leash on the trail and did not realize till I was almost home. We had to back track about 15 minutes until I found it.

Nate was a handful today. He came home from school and had an accident in the bathroom. He tried to make it but unfortunately flooded the floor, his socks, his shirt and of course his pants. After I got his clothes off, I sent him upstairs for some clean underwear and I cleaned up the floor. While I was doing that he was busy opening his bedroom closet door and peeing. Of course he announced what he did so I ran upstairs to find another mess. After I cleaned up AGAIN, I sent him for a time out,I needed the 3 minutes more than he did so I could calm down.

Shortly after that he decided to unroll the toilet paper in the bathroom. At this point I was very ready for him to have a nap and when I had him all settled in his bed he said "I love you Mommy". Ok...I admit that made it all better. I am a sucker for the cute little guy even with all the challenges.

Wow....snow day... we are buried in SNOW!

Lot's of fun for kids but not great for those who have to shovel their driveways. Thankfully we had a helper going around shoveling the end of driveways after the snow plow went by. I am very proud to say it was my husband Darren doing something nice in his own quiet way. He made the life of four families easier today when they returned to their homes. Well done!

Wow...this parenting gig is tough! We are trying hard but every day is bringing new challenges.

On the positive side of things:
Nate has improved with his swimming. He has joined the class and is blowing bubbles and kicking his feet. Every week...more progress. Excellent!
Jade is doing well. I have been trying to spend more one on one time with her which has been something that we both need but is not always easy to do. She is growing up fast and I am hoping that we have a strong relationship through the teen years . I got to watch her play basketball yesterday and was really proud of how well she played and thrilled to see her having so much fun. Darren has volunteered to help with the scoring at the games so it has turned into a great family activity for us.