Abby's Songs...

About a year ago, Abby made up her first song. These are the lyrics:








"Jesus loves,
Jesus loves,
Jesus loves, loves, loves, loves, loves.

Jesus loves the babies.
Jesus loves the children.
Jesus loves lions.
Jesus loves giraffes.
Jesus loves polar bears.
Jesus loves seals.

Jesus loves,
Jesus loves,
Jesus loves, loves, loves, loves, loves."


Although she is now constantly making up songs, this is one that I thought to write down:


"Diving" Jan. 7/07

"Diving, diving, diving
Like a fish.
Diving, diving, diving
In the water.
Diving, diving, diving
With our clothes.
Diving, diving, diving
We will get soaked!"

Teeth & bath update

"Hello block..." Jude love chatting with his toys, his nuk, anyone around... He's been waking up at around 4:45 am for the last few days. The first day we brought him down so I could nurse him back to sleep. He ate, but didn't go back to sleep, just played and pulled our hair. The next day, I let him chat and play until he started "yelling" for us, went up, nursed him, and then put him back down (thinking he might actually go back to sleep if we weren't there to play with). No sleep, just cries. Yesterday, we just let him chat until 6 am & then we all got up (Abby woke up early too!). By the time the sun actually made its appearance, we'd already been awake for nearly 3 hours (Scary...) Yesterday was actually very productive... I moved our dining room table into our kitchen & the futon from Abby's room to the dining room. It gives a little extra play area both in the dining room and in Abby's room. The kitchen is a little crowded, but it will work okay until we're moved into the addition (most likely will not be until the spring at the earliest). Maybe with the help of a little coffee I could start getting up earlier. Maybe I won't actually have a choice!
Although this picture looks like he's not impressed with his bath, this was actually not bad compared to previous attempts in the big tub. He's sitting in the kitchen sink. You can see his teeth through his cries.
There's those cute little teeth again! This picture was just taken this morning. 

Our new playschool

We started a Christian Cooperative Playschool at our church on Jan.11 (Abby's 3rd birthday). We've now been running for 3 weeks averaging around 10 children between the ages of 18 mos and 4 years. One of Abby's favourite things to do is to dress up like a "fire mouse".

Although she was still a little young for the tricycle this past summer, she is now able to ride & loves being able to ride INSIDE!
"Fire Mouse" Abby with Mrs. Angela. 

Yummy Egg Yolks

Jude just turned 8 months old yesterday! Coincidentially, Jon and I also started dating 10 years ago yesterday. Has it really been that long!?!

Jude is LOVING that he can eat by himself now (although it is considerably messier). He'll eat a whole banana, a few egg yolks & cereal for breakfast (he has a healthy appetite!) He weighed 22 lbs, 9 oz at his appointment on Monday.

If you look REALLY close, you may be able to see his two little bottom teeth. 

Abby's 3rd Birthday...in Thunder Bay

Our little girl is 3! She is such a sweetheart. We had a birthday party for her yesterday with 3 of her friends. We started off at Wiggles & Giggles (an indoor playplace... like a big McDonald's play place) and then came back to our house for snacks, cake (I'm pretty proud of how well Pooh turned out... it was much easier than Dora last year! I've decided that fewer colours is definately easier!), ice-cream & presents.
Abby with her friends, Anthony, Sarah & Lauren.
Abby and Anthony in one of the ball pits. Her "party dress" matched the balls quite nicely!
 

Abby's first "easy-bake" cake

Abby and I made a little cake in her easy-bake oven. She needed a little help with the mixing, but really enjoyed icing the cake (it's still in the pan because I neglected to grease it first... oops!) We all had a very little piece (Abby had 2... she was the baker after all) 

Big Boy...

Jude started sitting up by himself shortly before we left for NB. He does really well when he's rested... he topples over when he's getting sleepy. When he wants to move onto his tummy, he leans forward until he does a face-plant, then pulls himself up & grins at us.

He cut his first tooth on New Year's Day and his second on Jan 8th. They are still pretty little, but we'll take a picture once they're a little more visible. 

Rub a dub dub, Jude & Abby in the tub.... in the living room?

As some of you know, Jude HATES the bath. I've tried everything I can think of.... water a little warmer, a little cooler, lying down, sitting up, semi-reclined in my arms, with toys, without toys, in a steamed bathroom, in a non-steamed bathroom, bringing a heater into the bathroom... so, we borrowed an infant/toddler tub from Jude's buddy Asher (12 days older than Jude). We thought we'd try a dry run first so here is Jude, fully-clothed, playing with his toys, in the living room. He quite liked hanging out in the bathtub as long as he wasn't naked & water was not involved.
We recently purchased a new acrylic claw-foot soaker tub for the master bath in the addition (very exciting... I'm dreaming of the day when Jon and I are able to get out of the basement & into our new bedroom!) We had it shipped to the border & Jon went to pick it up this past week. It sat in our living room for a day before Jon & I carried it upstairs & through the hole in our wall at the landing into the addition. Abby thought it was pretty funny to have a bath tub in the living room!

3rd Birthday Continued...

Cutting into Dora... We found lit three candles, sang Happy Birthday to Abby, she blew out the candles (with Mummy's help)... end of story? Not quite. My mum forgot that she had a special number 3 candle so we lit that one for Abby too. Abby waited expectantly so we all sang to her a second time (to her delight!) Of course we did! After the second time, she quietly asked me if we could sing "one more time?" She is three after all, right? Why not sing "Happy Birthday" 3 times? So we did!
Nana & Papa got Abby her very own fishing pole (Dora of course!) for her birthday so she can go fishing with Papa & Mummy next summer.
Uncle Len assembling the stoller combo we got for Abby for her birthday.

Abby's 3rd NB Birthday Party

Because Abby's birthday is so soon after Christmas, we celebrate with family before heading back to Thunder Bay. Nana & Papa made some rice krispie treats for the party. Hayden & Abby enjoy some while she waits for her other guests to arrive.
Nana's amazing Dora cake. Abby was very impressed and we had to cut Dora's feet first. Her head had to be the very last to be cut.
Playing a "balloon game" with Papa
 

More Abby

Abby loved eating the big plain pretzels at the mall.
Auntie Joan's truck is equiped with a DVD player & headphones. Abby loved watching her favourite videos (Dora, Blue & Backyardigans) in the truck! She was a little dubious about the headphones so for the longest time kept them beside her but would not but them on. After she saw her cousin Allie put them on though, she thought it was great.

She enjoyed many meals of "Papa beans" while we were in NB. She apparently enjoyed one just before we got in the truck by the look of her face in this picture!
Stories with Daddy & Papa Bear 

More Jude...

Jude with his crazy vibrating cow toy (that he loves!)
Sleepy boy at the mall for Boxing Day sales in Fredericton.












Jude with his Papa (my dad)

In the hotel in Sault Ste Marie 

Christmas with Jon's Family

Although Lin came up to Woodstock for Christmas with my family, we celebrated Christmas again with her on Boxing Day. She had bought four stuffed Berenstain Bears when Jon & I were engaged to give to a future grandchild along with Jon's collection of Berenstain Bears books. She gave them to Abby for Christmas. Abby was thrilled with them!
Daddy helping Abby brush her pony's hair.
Jude with his new stuffed carrot from Great Aunt Barb.
Jude met his Grampy Carlos and his Uncles Benjamin & Gabriel for the first time shortly after Christmas.