The End of Our Holidays AND 2007!!!!

Well ... we have returned (a couple of days ago actually) from our trip up north to spend the holidays with family! As always it was a busy blur of events that I wouldn't trade for anything ... even the sleepness nights incurred by our lovely Cadence! As I sit here and reflect, I have to admit, she was a real trooper!!! She is definitely destined to be a party girl .... We took her to church at 8:00pm on Christmas Eve and then to my aunt and uncle's afterwards, meaning bedtime was oh ... about midnight! It is not surprising that we, rookie parents, would get a taste of what is known as 'night terrors'.

Christmas morning was ... exciting ... more for us than Cadence I'm sure! She actually opened most of her presents herself (with a little help from cousin Olivia!). All three girls looked sweet in their matching jammies ... and jammies is where we will draw the line ... we will NOT, I say, NOT dress them in matching polyester gowns! Mom's dinner was spectacular ... as always! Only missing element was BIL Dave ...
We had another great visit at Uncle Mike and Aunt Judi's ... no accordian tunes this year ?! Of course, we had to bolt a little early (11:00pm) as Cadence was starting to fade ... imagine that!

And finally we had the afternoon of games and ... more food at mom's where the traditional family photos were taken ... many missing faces this year ... man, adulthood, jobs, responsibilities just get in the way of things like Christmas huh?!



Sean and I also got to enjoy an evening out ... just the two of us ... while Baba and Cadence spent some quality time together ... and where Cadence learned a new word - 'bubbles'. She sure has an interesting vocabulary thus far!
One disappointment over the holidays ... the lack of picture taking! Trying to keep up with a toddler leaves few opportunities for picture taking ... I do hope to do better in the future!

And so here it is ... 9 pm on New Year's Eve ... 2007 is on it's way out! I feel a tad bit of sentiment as I sit here sipping ... yes ... red ... and reflecting on the past year! To be honest, outside of FINALLY becoming parents to Cadence, nothing else comes to mind, or matters at all ... for this reason 2007 will always be a big year for us! Now, if only I could muster up the energy to see 2008 arrive ... if I don't ... please know I wish health, happiness and good fortune to all of you ... family and friends, near and far! May 2008 bring us all wonderful things!

Cheers my friends!

Our Musician ...

Is is too soon for formal lessons?????

Video of the Week ...

The Photos as promised ...

Here are a few favourite shots from this week including the crowd of neighbours who came to a poor souls rescue :

Lucky THIRTEEN!

Today my little peanut turns 13 months old! She continues to thrive and amaze us in many ways! Right now she has this very studious look about her as she makes the connection that what is on tv up here in the den is the same program on down in the great room. She keeps walking back and forth from the door way to the landing to check it out ... amazing really! Here are some of the 'tricks' she has learned so far:

*Walking ... now almost running at times.
*Words ... an interesting, but meagre vocabulary so far - yeah, cheers, backpack and up without the 'p'.
*Feeds herself most meals.
*Waves hello and goodbye.
*Gives and blows kisses with an awesome 'smack'.
*Points to her belly button and nose.
*Claps her hands.
*Says 'woof, woof' anytime she sees a dog on tv, in a book, on the street.
*Blows a whistle.
*Shakes her head yes and no.
*Uses a tv remote quite successfully.
*Uses the telephone appropriately.
*Pretends to read books.
*Climbs ... everything!
*Will do whatever we do - load the dishwasher, put/take out clothes from the machines, dust - she is too precious!


I am sure there are other important milestones I am missing, but these seem to stick out at the moment. Her receptive language is definitely strong ... as for expressive, I have to admit I'm a little concerned and impatient about it at times, but I'm trying to keep in mind that she has only been exposed to the english language for a little over 3 months now ... it will come ... right?!

I am trying to pick out, just the right little video clip (or photos) to add to this entry so it may take a day or two to post AND this will likely be the last before and during the holidays so, to everyone who continues to find the time to follow our story ...

HAVE A SAFE AND WONDERFUL HOLIDAY ... MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES ... we'll catch you up in the new year!

For you BABA ...

A Test ...

I noticed some new features on my Blogger tool bar, so I am going to attempt to upload a short video clip ...

Getting Things Done ...

Well I finally got up the courage, and the ladder, to finish decorating the top half of the tree.

Even with the ladder and 2 missing sections, I couldn't reach the top section so I had to be creative. Here are the tools of the trade ...

While I took care of the tree, my daughter did her chores ...

Actually, the angel took a TWO hour nap for a change ... deck the halls! After that we kicked off our boots,

and then Miss Cadence got ready for a Christmas party with daddy!

It was a GREAT day!

Cadence's First Christmas Party

All dressed up and somewhere to go ....

Making my first craft ... glue stick ... yum!!!

Decorating a gingerbread man ... couldn't wait ... had to eat it ... ALL!

Typical first photo with Santa ...

Look at me with all my new friends ...

Finally ... An Update!

Here are some updates from the past couple of weeks ...

One Year Photo Shoot

I took Cadence to get some professional photos done. They turned out well ... how could they not with such an adorable subject!? She had some ‘separation anxiety’ during the sitting however, so there are no smiley shots this time around but we did manage to get some great hand, feet and facial shots that they don’t normally do after 6 months of age. When I get an opportunity I’ll scan them for the blog!

Walking and Words

Cadence is getting around on two feet much more ... some days walking more than crawling and quite proud of herself I may add! She even walked up a ladder ... but that’s a whole other story! As for language development ... she really hasn’t taken any risks there. She has learned that her grunts and groans usually get her what she wants. She has ‘yeah’ and 'cheers' mastered, ‘mom’ has been uttered a couple of times and she is almost there with ‘up’. Despite my impatience and concern, I know it will come and I will certainly give you all the details!

Christmas Photos

I had my cousin Diane take some pictures of us to use for a family Christmas card ... still haven’t decided which one yet ... any thoughts? To all who get one ... enjoy ... it will be the only family photo card we’ll be sending in the coming years ... it will be Cadence only from here on in!




The Tree Fiasco

So ... we finally got up the energy to set up the tree. All I can say is ... regret, regret, regret! At the time, a 12 foot tree sounded like a good idea ... in fact, when we opened the box at the bottom of the basement stairs, I felt all would be good ... 6 pieces, plus a stand ... easy! NOT!!!! The directions were useless, the height overwhelming and the task daunting. After a half hour I was ready to throw everything back in the box and put it up on Ebay! But thanks to Diane and some modifications, it got done ... minus 2 of the 6 sections! It is still HUGE ... god knows how we would have put all the pieces together. Now to decorate ... yikes ... that will be for another day (or year!). Pictures to come!

Winter Has Arrived!

As you can see from the photo, we have gotten a dumping of the white stuff ... 2 bus cancellation days in a row! It is a winter wonderland ... pretty, but I could do without the stuff! Getting Cadence bundled up and getting out of the house is becoming increasingly difficult ... instead of getting out once a day, I'm aiming for twice a week!



To Sleep or Not to Sleep ...

THAT has been the question of the weeks ... it is still up and down ... we are trying different things and even coming to terms with the fact that we may have to resort to those tactics we swore we would resist. The last 4 or 5 days have been pretty good ... I'll leave it at that, as anytime I mention this topic in a positive spin ... I jinx it!

Well, definitely hoping to update you a little more frequently ... sorry for the delay! I have some great videos I must share with you too, but you may have to wait until after the holidays ... I need a good chunk of time to download, organize and set up for the blog! Off to change a stinky one ... yay!