Christmas 2010

A few nights before Christmas, they opened their presents from Papa and I. Rachel's was a cool pop-up Charlie Brown book. Alex got the 12 days of Christmas - it was her favorite song to play all season long on the piano. Sophia got a Christmas book that plays different Christmas songs.

They were tortured of waiting for Christmas morning. haha. We went to Christmas Eve mass and when we got back they were allowed to open one present under the tree - it's been like that every year. Surprise, surprise, Rachel picked Alex's gift to open and vice versa. The twins were fighting over who's present Sophia was going to open so she got to open 2 gifts...one from each girl.

Then on Christmas morning they awoke with excitement and woke up every one else in the house. We rushed downstairs to the stockings. They were amazed that Santa had eaten their cookies and had filled their stockings and had brought gifts. They still believe in Santa! Awesome! I have friends who have actually told their kids that Santa doesn't exist. I want them to believe as long as possible because they are so innocent and happy right now. Once they 'grow up' they have to deal with school stress, job stress, mortgages, etc..... So as long as I can hold onto the excitement of Santa and stuff for the girls I will be happy.

Sophia was thrilled with her toys. She was good with just a few things and didn't really want to continue opening gifts. Well, she was good with her gifts in her stocking even! haha

Her favorite being the baby doll above and a stroller that she gets to push the baby around in.

Alex got her stuffed owls from Santa and the game of Topple. Very exciting. And Rachel got her underwater camera and the DQ blizzard maker from Santa. So thrilling.

So another Christmas come and gone. It was a good holiday but why oh why am I feeling so exhausted?!! haha. Tis the season, I guess.

Cookies for Santa

Early Christmas Present

My good friend gave me this beautiful picture for Christmas. I framed it right away and can't stop looking at it and smiling. I love it soooooo much.

Papa and his girls

Snowmen

Christmas Piano Recital 2010

The girls had their Christmas recital at a seniors' centre yesterday afternoon. It was such a busy day. We ran around from 8:30 in the morning, busy with haircuts and art classes, someone coming by the house. Then it was eat your lunch really quickly, get dressed, and off to the recital. And when the girls had to go up I had HUGE butterflies in my stomach. So seeing these pictures and watching back the video, I can finally relax and enjoy it. We all made it there on time and the girls did fantastic. So proud of them.

First a sister duet to Jingle Bells.

Then Alex played the 12 days of Christmas.

And Rachel played We Wish you a Merry Christmas.

When we walked outside, it was beginning to snow. Me and my lovely girls. I feel very lucky to be their mama.

Soph's 3rd haircut

Coloring

She loves her coloring book that she got from Santa at the mall. And bonus bonus...this year she didn't cry when it was time to get her photos taken with him.

More pretty shoes!

Aren't they pretty? And they don't scream mini-van mom! :)

Weekend

Every so often....I feel rested. This does NOT happen very often. In fact I feel tired 99% of the time. But this morning, the stars aligned and I didn't care that the dishes from breakfast were left all over the table and the counters were dirty. I left it and jumped back into bed and even spent 1/2 hour on the newspaper Sudoku puzzle. It was heavenly. The older girls were busy playing and Sophia was lying beside me in bed....very occupied because she had her sister's DS in hand.

Then I took the girls outside for a walk in the snow. It's a very small town so we bumped into some friends (girls they went to preschool with!) and the girls had a blast. There is LOTS of snow already up at the ski hill.

On another note we feel very fortunate because out of the girls' bedroom window (literally just a few feet away) you can see that the ski lodge right beside us burnt to the ground earlier this week. We were told that if the wind was blowing in a different direction, we might not have been so lucky and our place could have burned down too. Crazy.

Yes, that is Alex. She got the chicken pox. I jinxed myself with the last post. She has it worse than the other two girls. Ugh. At least, after this we are really all done, right?

My fashionistas

My three beautiful, NOISY, fashionista girls this cold November morning. (Love Old Navy online!)


Love how the older girls are BFFs but they are so different. Rachel is all about dressing up and Alex is all about comfort.

Random New Pics

Sophia is pretty much totally recovered from the Chicken Pox. Rachel caught it from her sister. Alex never got it!!! Rachel is totally better now. The above picture was taken before the weekend and now she is much better. Hopefully, fingers crossed, all the kids will be back at school tomorrow.

We heard that there was snow up at the ski hill so we ventured there this weekend. There was snow but not that much and it was all melting and we were all soaking wet after a walk outside to get fresh air.

What else is new? I'm actually enjoying my new job. Enjoying it because it seems so peaceful compared to being home in mommy mode all day long with constant interruptions. You know, the constant making snacks and meals, cleaning up faces and crumbs on the floor, wiping bums, doing endless laundry, playing hide and seek, etc.... On Friday, there was a meeting over lunch at work and not only did I sit in the boardroom for an hour NOT working but they fed me a delicious pulled pork sandwich. And I was happy. haha. Which is so funny because when I used to work full time if they had told me that I had to forfeit my lunch hour on Friday afternoon because there was a branch meeting I would have been furious. Come on my lunch hour is MY hour and I don't care if you buy me a dumb sandwich. See how much my perspective has changed? haha. I'm so happy to sit in peace and listen to office blah blah blah and eat my food in peace!!!

I have wildly fluctuating feelings of "I'm the luckiest mama in the world to be surrounded by these girls!" to feelings of wanting to run away so I can be left alone for a while. While I'm typing, Sophia is sniffing and licking my arm. I don't know why except that I wished that she would stop and go off and play. I know that these are very random topics and thoughts and I have wondered if I am slowly going crazy in this small corner of the world.

These letters to Santa are SO sweet. I saw these Santa letter writing kits at the dollar store today and had to buy them. Alex wanted to only ask for one item so that she was sure to get this one item. She had written down a wish for Sophia and then erased it when she realized that I had bought one of these kits for Sophia too. She is such a mama always looking out for her younger sis.

Rachel wrote a beautiful list for Santa. She covered her bases asking for 5 different items. She even asked Alex, what are you going to do if Santa can't make you roller skates? You want to get nothing? I laughed. So funny. She is excited to help Sophia with her list once she wakes up from her nap.

So there you have it. A very random post.

One day until I go back to work and Sophia has the chicken pox. Ugh.

** Besides scratching and the odd tantrum...she's doing just fine :) **

I internalize stress. I worry about things. I worry a little too much about things I guess I shouldn't worry about. And the worry manifests itself in weird ways on my body. I remember when I was starting my new job at ScotiaMcleod when I was in my early 20s I got this HUGE zit on my cheek that lasted for 3 full weeks. It got bigger and bigger because I was trying to cover it up with make up when I had to go to work. I was stressed because I was starting in a fancy big office building downtown and I didn't know anyone there, etc... Anyhow I bring this up because I'm going back to work this Thursday. In 3 days from now. And my right eye looks totally red for some strange reason. I have SO many little zits growing on my chin AND cheek. And I got shingles. The painful shingles that older people are suppose to get. Yup, all these things are going on with my body and I am feeling run down with stress. But I really don't know why I'm so stressed. Because it is going back to my old office where I know everyone. I guess it's been 4 years and 5 months since I last worked outside of the home. So I'm worried that I won't be very productive at work on the computers. I'm also stressed about how I will have to be a lot more organized with the girls lunches so in the morning I won't be running around like a chicken without it's head.

On the plus side: It's such a great schedule. Only 2 days a week. So it's a great way to get back into the work force. I'm not thrown in to full time work. Also, it will be so rewarding to get a paycheque twice a month. As small as it will be.

I've been wanting to do something else career wise. Remember how I registered for the Teacher's aide course (and then backed out this summer). I found out that the wage for a full time T/A was about $20,000 a year! Come on ....pay isn't everything but to commit myself to going to school full time then working for peanuts didn't sound too appealing. So I'm going back to work in the financial industry that I swore I would never go back to. Never say never, eh?

On another positive note, I bought these shoes for $9.90 taxes included. When in the world did I become such a cheapo?!!

Halloween 2010

Make a digital greeting

Halloweek

* I just wanted to add this latest picture from tonight's party to the post. Total last minute run to the dollar store. When I told Alex that Halmoni would be surprised that she was a devil she got so concerned. Why? Oh because you know the devil is kind of mean. She had no clue what the devil was. She thought it was a character that sat on people's shoulder with the angel seated on the other side of the shoulder. But had no idea what they represented. haha. So she said that she didn't want to wear this costume again tomorrow night. But don't worry, Rachel said that she would trade costumes. haha **

When I was a kid Halloween was just one evening. I would think up a costume that very same afternoon and then wear that costume out that night for 2 or 3 hours. Nowadays Halloween is a week long event.

My girls and I have had many discussions about what their costume will be this year. I pleaded with them to be either a hotdog, hamburger and french fries trio. Or else, have Sophia be a little California roll sushi and the older girls be little geishas. Or else this idea I saw from Pottery Barn kids online....a milk carton, cookie and cupcake trio. But NOOOO, they have their own minds now and I can't seem to convince them that my idea for a trio that matches is a good idea. So... I had to give in. After all it's a kid's holiday - and it's not like I can force them into costumes that makes ME happy. Jeesh.

Sophia just fooling around with an old wig.

Peace. This has nothing to do with Halloween but I post pictures to make my mom happy.

Sophia sitting on someone's Christmas present. See what we do to your gifts before we give them to you. haha And I know that this someone doesn't read my blog.

Alex and Rachel got to dress up for their skating lesson yesterday and they BOTH wanted to be cats. How boring is that, eh? Oh well, I pleaded with them with no luck. We were doing some cat face painting getting them ready and Sophia wanted to join in. So that was the first time they got to dress up this week.

Then today at school the older girls got to wear their costumes. Rachel still wanted to be a cat. Alex changed her mind this morning because the make up made her itchy and she decided to be a magician. Lucky for us we had the costume from their 6th bday party.

Right after school we went to a Halloween party held at one of the schools for all the community kids. We went with Kaili and her boys. It was super fun. Sophia is a penguin. She just didn't want to put on the hat part.

The girls had fun doing arts and crafts and eating a hotdog and stuff like that. I think the best part for them was to see Kaili and the boys though.

They still have another Halloween party they are going to tomorrow night and then the actual trick or treating part on Sunday. Crazy! Sugar Sugar High!