Warts and Christmas trees - of course!!

We had an exciting day today. Aidan has had this 'growth' on his hand between his thumb and pointer finger. We suspected that it might be a planters wart, but were hoping that it would go away on its own and prove us wrong. Well, it didn't go away, and it was pretty big and nasty (oh the joys of the ailments of children!). I took him to the Doctor to check it out and sure enough it's a planter's wart and the Doctor recommended we freeze it off. So, he brings out the freezing stuff (yep - that's the medical term for it!!) and froze that sucker. Poor Aidan was so brave, he sat still the whole time even though it was burning like crazy. So that's treatment number one - we'll see how many more we'll have to go through before that nastiness is gone. But because Aidan was so tough (he obviously gets that from his mother!!) I took him for a tim-bit, and that made everything all better!!

And now to the Christmas tree part. I bought the boys a 6ft fake Christmas tree to decorate (since I'm so bloody anal about the real tree!). This afternoon Aidan decided that it was time to set up the tree (Quinn was conveniently napping so he knew he wouldn't be bothered by his pesky little bro!). So we hauled that sucker out and put it together, and then Aidan went hog-wild putting lights, tinsel, ribbon and ornaments on it. He's so proud of that tree, and keeps saying that he's the only one who's allowed to turn the lights on and off! Pictures to follow.....

On Friday we left Brigitte and Mac's place (and Omar!) and headed off to Mississagua for Liam's 6th birthday party. It was Shannon's first real road trip and she was a superstar - slept the whole way! Aidan and Quinn had a blast playing with Liam and Devan, and the party was a roaring success. (roaring being the operative word with 10 kiddos in attendance it was LOUD!!).

On Sunday Chris took Aidan to hockey and Aidan said the cutest thing. He said: "Daddy, sometimes before I go to Hockey I don't want to go. But once I get there I don't want to leave! I can't wait until we build our rink so I can practise!" I guess that means that this weekend we'll be busy building the rink! Hopefully the weather will cooperate this winter so that it will freeze!

I did a bit of Christmas shopping last week, and I have to say I just can't get into it. I'm not sure why - the kids are so excited about Santa coming, and about seeing all their relatives over the holidays. But for some reason I just can't get motivated to go shopping. It's probably the holiday crowds which are already INSANE!! Guess it's time I start really doing some online shopping......

Pictures galore

I don't have time for a full update, so hopefully you'll settle for a picture dump!

Dog-sitting and Christmas lights

Last Tuesday we 'moved into' Mac and Brigitte's house to take care of Omar (the golden lab) while they vacationed in Hawaii. Trust me, I asked many times for them to smuggle me along in their suitcases!! ;-) They boys have been loving living with the dog, while I have been dealing with having a constant companion everywhere I go in the house.

In the meantime life has been going on as usual. On Sunday we put up the Christmas lights at home, and Aidan was as happy as a pig in sh!it (to put it mildly!). The kid has an uncanny memory - he remembered exactly where each light strand was last year. Chris and I would be debating where things went and how we arranged all the plugs, and the little monkey would pipe up: "no Mummy, it went like this...." Unbelievable! Now all that being said, even though the lights are up we have not turned them on yet. The rule is that they don't go on until December 1st (which of course Aidan knows and repeats on numerous occasions to Quinn).

Quinn meanwhile, has become quite the little bugger. His latest 'trick' is to shriek at the top of his lungs to get our attention. I've lost track of the number of times a day we say: "Quinn, use your words!" That being said, he's such a little cutie that sometimes you can't help but laugh when you're 'disciplining' him.

That's it for now - have to go rescue Chris from Shannon. It's her fussy time, which means we take turns rocking, bouncing, dancing, lunging and just plain trying anything to get the little sweetie to stop fussing.

First smiles and assorted goings-on

Well it's official - Shannon had her first "big" smile on Friday. She was wide awake on her back, and I was talking to her and making faces, and she looked right at me and gave me this big smile. I tell you, there is absolutely nothing better than the feeling of having your child look at you with total recognition and smile. It was amazing! Since then we've managed to get a few more smiles, and I think more will definitely be coming.

Our weekend was relatively low-key. Brigitte and Mac (aka Omi & Gramps) got back from Hilton Head on Friday, and the boys were super excited because they really missed them. Quinn kept asking: "Omi at her house Mummy?". So we had Omi & Gramps, and Auntie Kare and the kids over for dinner on Saturday night, and it was a really nice evening.

On Sunday we just laid fairly low (aside from Chris and I going on an unpacking and organizational blitz) and relaxed. Then we headed over to Brigitte and Mac's for dinner.

Sleep: 0, Shannon: 1

It's official, the battle for sleep has begun. Unfortunately, thus far the one month old is winning the war. Grrr.... I'd forgotten what it's like to be this sleep deprived! On a positive note, our little girl is not so little any more. Today she weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 11oz - she's gained almost three pounds in just under a month!!

Trick or Treat!

Well yesterday was a busy day. Both Quinn and Aidan had Halloween parties at their schools (well, Quinn was at daycare which we call his 'little school'). I went in to help Aidan's class with their Halloween parade and party. It was so cute!

Then they came home, wolfed down some dinner and out they went trick or treating. Quinn was a little reluctant to put his costume on, but once I told him that he couldn't get any candy unless he wore his costume it went on in a hurry! They had so much fun going from house to house. It was hysterical to hear Quinn say "sass you" to everyone (in Quinn-speak that means Thank-you).

They got sooooooooooooo..... much candy. I can't believe how much they came back with. AND they even got cans of soda - who gives out soda for Halloween? So far I've taken half the chocolate and put it in the freezer to try to avoid eating it in the next few days. We'll see how successful that effort is!!

Here are some pictures from their adventure last night: