Morning Boy...

James is my morning boy...He wakes up no later than 7:30 everyday...quite different from his sister who thinks she should never get up before 9:30! James wakes up with a smile on his face...his sister wakes up and throws the covers over her head and whines out, "I don't want to wake up, yet!" It seems that James has one mission upon waking up...waking up his sister! He does his very best to crawl over me and get to his sister...when that doesn't work because his Mommy wont let him...he screams and screams loud, happy screams until Elsie rolls over! After Elsie comes to terms with being awake we all happily play in bed until hunger over comes James...
James loves to eat rice chex cereal and cut up peaches...the last few days he has even been eating some pieces of pancakes cut up on his tray! Such a big boy! After James is done eating he happily plays in the high chair as I clean up the kitchen...he scoots in circles while babbling away and laughing at his sister as she eats her breakfast! I think it is safe to say that James is my happy morning boy...and just for the record I always said I could not handle a morning child...but I find it a nice change to wake up early...but how can anyone not be happy in the morning when they have this cute little smile to look at...

A Little Fun...

Last weekend Elsie was kept quite busy with the face paints! She loves those face paints...We just give her the paints and let her go at it! Oddly enough the mess is pretty much confined to her face and fingers...so clean up is not that bad. On this particular day I was able to take a nice long shower and Jon was able to finish giving James his dinner...so it was well worth the mess!
Soon James crawled in the bathroom to see what all the fun was about...he did his best to eat some paint...and we did our best to keep the paints away from him!

I love this picture...Her eyes look huge! She spent FOREVER painting her face! The paint was so thick on her nose...Jon and I couldn't help but laugh...so creative...so cute...so messy!

After she was almost done she decided she didn't look quite right...so she wiped it all off with a piece of toilet paper and re-applied the paint! Personally I think she was just having too much fun to stop!

We are now out of face paint...it is on our list to buy more...it is a handy thing to have around...Elsie would agree! I was just thankful to take a nice shower...with no whining kids!

Outside Play...again...

I think the weather is slowly getting warmer out...which means we get to spend more time outside playing! I am getting so tired of winter though...I am counting down to days till I can comfortably wear flip-flops outside again! Elsie did wear her flip-flops outside one day...she just walked along the sidewalk then decided her toes were getting a little cold...I think she is ready for summer also!
Elsie enjoys any day that is warm enough to wear just a sweater outside...Love how she always has to have a scarf on...no coat but a scarf...love her way of thinking...

Sledding down the hill at Grammie and Papa Wayne's...Elsie likes to scoot down on her bum with no sled...Not sure why, but she does!

And she likes rolling down the hill...her rolls usually get a bit wild and the next thing she knows she is in a snow pile!

Elsie and Emma...I hear far too many wild tales about their adventures on the hill...one day Elsie even talked the kids into strapping the Snowboard on her feet so she could lean how to use it! I have a funny feeling that Elsie's broken leg last spring will be far from our last!

James loves to be outside...and between Elsie and Emma there is never a shortage of people willing to pull him around the yard...

A happy little guy...all bundled up! A couple weeks ago we finally broke down and bought him a new coat and snowpants...I was happily squeezing him in the cute 6 mo coat I bought at Janie and Jack before he was born...and his cute camo fleece snowsuit...But when his legs kept sticking out and buttons wouldn't button anymore we made a trip to town for a larger snowsuit. Now he looks like such a big boy...

Brother and Sister...Best friends...Dangerous together!

Retro...

I love this picture...it is either the retro feel to the picture or the chubby baby toes!
We are borrowing my parents Stainless Retro High chair...and just might not ever give it back! I didn't like to idea of James eating strait off the plastic tray on our regular high chair...we are now on the look out for a stainless high chair of our own...because I am a little afraid my parents might want theirs back!

Embrace the Camera...with Barbie

Every little girl needs a few Barbies to play with...and a daddy willing to play those Barbies with his little daughter! Being that Jon works out of town so much he makes a point to spend a little one-on-one with Elsie when he is home...doing simple things like running to the store, playing a game or, like this day, playing Barbies!
Elsie really has very little Barbie things...but her little aunties are so willing to borrow her some of their Barbie things...like the huge Barbie house! It is fun to see my daughter playing with some of the Barbie things because a lot of the stuff was mine when I was little!

I loved watching Jon play Barbies with Elsie...watching his big clumsy hands put on those little tiny Barbie shoes...and make them talk with a high-pitched squeaky voice! Elsie is a very bossy first born girl though...so she was rather exasperated with her daddy when he didn't act the way she wanted!

A girl and her girly-girl Barbies...yet her favorite thing to make her barbies do it use the toilet! Why do kids love all the potty stuff...and when do they outgrow it? I have always said "my kids will never to that..." well, hello, she is!

What a good daddy for playing Barbies with his daughter...It made Elsie's day...even if he didn't act the way she wanted!

Painting Day...

Lately we have been having lots of painting days...the kind of painting days that means we just leave the paint out all day on the table...because you never know when inspiration might strike!
While Elsie was busy painting on one end of the table...I pulled out some apple green paint and painted the frame of an old bulletin board on the other end of the table...

Elsie had found a foam brush and really wanted to try it out...I think I might have to buy her a few more of these brushes...they got the pain on the paper nice and thin yet kept the bright colour...and no bristles on the paper!

Aqua seems to be her colour of choice...at least on that day! Elsie assures me Pink is her favorite colour...she used to be a total Purple girl...but she heard me say one too many times that I am not attracted to Purple, Pink is my favorite. I feel bad that she changed her mind based on me...so hopefully my comments on being an individual are just as important to her!

We have so many pieces of artwork hanging in our house...I love them all...quite an artist...When I look at the art work I feel so blessed that I get to be a mommy...no greater job in my mind...

Sometimes I think we encourage Elsie to be a bit too creative...if there is such a thing! I was busy painting the bulletin board frame...and Elsie was busy giving herself "a tattoo watch with no numbers"...

It was a lovely watch...and because she wanted to wear it for awhile before washing it off...it may have stained her wrist that lovely aqua colour for a couple days! Elsie was sick with a high fever for a few days shortly after painting her wrist...as she sweat from her fever she would leave paint marks across her face from the colour! So I like to say she eventually sweat the paint off...

Crazy-ness

Elsie is borrowing these cool pink shoes from her aunties...Elsie wears about a size 9...and these shoes are at least a size 12! But that is okay...Elsie still makes them work! She calls them her running shoes...She puts them on and literally runs around the house! After she finishes with her run she takes the shoes off and put them down somewhere...anywhere...
Doesn't everyone need pink high-top shoes sitting on the kitchen counter? Note to Auntie Emma...You can come take your shoes back anytime you please!

Outside Fun...

Last weekend the weather was simply gorgeous out...we enjoyed the sound of snow melting off the roof! Since it was so nice out we bundled the kids up and took them out to play...A few weeks ago Jon snow-blowed paths in the yard and around the house so Elsie could play a bit easier...those paths were the best idea ever...we will definitely be doing that again next year!

Elsie was very happy to finally be able to play at the swing set! The slide seemed to be her favorite thing...she has all kinds of wild ideas for making her slide into a water slide this summer!

James now knows that when we start putting his snowpants and coat on it means one thing...he gets to out side and play! This makes him very happy and he squeals with delight! He loves to sit in the little baby sled and be pulled around the yard...

He sits very still in the sled...an un-usual thing for him to do! Only twice did he tumble out...I guess if we had realized that was the reason why there is a baby seat belt in the sled it would not have happened...but that is just not our style, ya know!

Because we have had several storm this winter of ice first then snow, all the snow is quite hard...so hard that Jon was able to put a lawn chair on top of the snow and sit on it without it falling deep in the snow!

Daddy and James watching Elsie slide down the hill...

Daddy and his boy...

Elsie had more than a little fun outside...sliding down the hill...rolling down the hill...I think she was just enjoying all the fresh air! And notice that it was so warm out Elsie insisted in wearing just a sweater with her snowpants!

A happy and creative girl...always busy...the gears in her head never slow down!

After we played outside for awhile we headed up town to the little ice-skating rink...this was Elsie's first time on skates...and she did so good! She is begging to go skating again...

Elsie went around the rink once holding onto Daddy's hand...after that she felt confident enough to go alone holding on the back of a chair.

Daddy...video taping his little...

James was happy to be pulled along in the sled...I have hopes of James someday playing Hockey...we will see what he decides as he gets older...but I can my hopes, right?

We had a very enjoyable afternoon...I am so ready for warmer weather like this everyday! On the other hand that means longer hours for Daddy...so that part we are not looking forward to! We will cherish all these warm days and make the most of them...

Cozy Nights...

As much as I want winter to be over I don't want our evening routine to change...I love our quite and simple evenings...In that time between Dinner and Bedtime we find quite little things to do in the living room. The kids have nice full tummy's and and are so good to play together...
Elsie usually finds an art project to do...something to colour or draw...and James plays right next to his big sister...story books, magnet sticks or little cars seem to his favorite. The house is all quite and cozy, the kids play so quietly...it makes my heart very happy! Soon after we put Pj's on...Elsie watches a show while I rock James to sleep. After he is sleeping Elsie and I cuddle in her bed for story time. We have a good little routine...it works perfectly for our family. I will miss our perfect and cozy routine when the warm weather returns...but I think we all adjust!