First day of 'school' 2010

Wow, it feels weird to be posting about the kid's first day of school!  Fortunately it was only the first day of preschool, but we refer to it as 'school' in our house. 

Vivian started in the '2 room' (although she just made it in under the wire in the 20 month category... I can't refer to her as '2' yet).  It is quite a change going to a structured class with 9 other little ones her age.  I was nervous for the first day but I knew she would do fine.  We all escorted her to her classroom and got her settled and then Jamie and I were politely 'pushed' out (yes I think I was that lingering Mom on Monday).  Adrian stayed with her but as soon as we left I could hear her crying. Oh that is the worst moment for a mother... having to walk out on your crying child when you know you could make it stop with a mere hug.  I was assured it only lasted a few minutes and all it took was a snack to lift her spirits.  When I came to get her at 4:30 she was playing in the yard and as soon as she saw me she came running with the biggest smile on her face, gave me a quick hug complete with back pat, and then quickly ran back for one more trip down the slide.  That made me laugh.  I can't quite explain it but she seemed so very happy all evening that I think she really liked school.  She was smiling and singing all night and didn't hesitate with an enthusiastic 'Yes' when asked if she had a good day.

 

So little!

Adrian started a new class as a four year old and is in a big classroom downstairs.  It feels strange to walk by his old classroom every morning.  I miss his old teachers, Amy and Regina, as they were awesome but I am sure I will get to love his new ones as well.  Everyone at the Windsor St Preschool Center are awesome right down the the administrators and cooks.  They all seem to know and love Adrian and he has the nicname 'Smiley Eyes'.

  

So big!

Singing a song at his End of Year party.

Diapers only

Who needs clothes when it is so bloody hot?  What is up with this heat wave at the end of August / start of September?  What a long summer we are having.  I guess we should enjoy it as the frost will be hitting the pumpkin patch sooner rather than later.  (-:

It occurred to me at most of my pictures of Vivian lately have her clad in only a diaper.  There are two reasons for this:  the aforementioned heat, and the fact that she is a really messy eater all of the sudden and refuses to wear a bib.  (And when I say refuse, I mean REFUSE.)

She can't get enough black and blue berries.  She will eat them by the bowl full if I let her.  (And you don't want to know what happens to your digestive system when you do this!)

She loves shoes.  That's my girl.  And she is very interested in trying to get herself dressed these days.  She got these on by herself!

And Baby makes 3 - home from the hospital

We brought Adrian home on Wednesday afternoon after a short recovery in hospital. Having Adrian home has been amazing... so many firsts! Barkely was especially excited to meet his new little brother and had not stopped following Adrian around and smelling the little guy. I think Adrian has a new guard dog.



Adrian is such an amazing baby. He has been feeding, sleeping and cuddling with very little crying. Mom and Dad couldn't ask for a better baby.



It has been great having Grammie Underhill stay with us for this week. Whatever are we going to do without her?

Adrian - Four fabulous years and counting

We celebrated Adrian's 4th birthday in a big way this weekend.  This is the first year he has really gotten 'into' his birthday and I made sure that the whole day was an event for him.  As a warm up he had a little party with his class at Preschool on Friday.  I had a hard time explaining to him that although he had a party that day it wasn't actually his birthday.  Oh well, maybe he'll understand it next year.

On his 'birthday eve' I snuck into his room (which wasn't hard as he can sleep through anything) and decorated it with balloons and streamers.  I set up a bunch of birthday 'stuff' at his spot at the table along with a donut complete with candle.  He was so excited he woke up around 6AM.  I think he was more baffled by the decorations in his room than anything.  Vivian thought it was pretty cool too.

Jumping on Adrian's decorated bed.

Blowing out his breakfast candle.  We did it at least 10 times before he got his fill.  After this he had 'bacon and potatoes' which was his requested birthday breakfast.

Vivian playing Happy Birthday on the drums.

By this time Adrian was in the mood for more birthday decorations.  We went outside where I let him have the remaining balloons and streamers to do with whatever he chose.  I think this was his favorite part!  This killed time until Jamie woke up and he was allowed to open his presents from us (a guitar and keyboard).

Jamie and Vivian watching as Adrian opened his guitar.  I can tell from the look on his face he already knew what it was.  He carried that guitar around with him all day.  I had to talk him into taking it off to get dressed and use the bathroom.

Finally getting to strum his guitar.  He has been waiting for it for weeks.  (Note the puffed out eye... he got attacked by a bug of some sort Thursday night and woke up with it swollen shut.)

We played around the house for the rest of the morning as that is what Adrian wanted to do.  He is very happy just to stay home and hang out.  Grammy and Grampy U arrived and took him in town for a birthday hair cut, (a present for me as I was getting tired of his shag, but not tired enough to brave the hair salon with him) which he surprisingly agreed to.  Then the Nanny and Grampy J along with Gerry and Michelle arrived and the party really started.  Adrian opened his birthday presents and he was oh so excited to do so.  Funny the change from last year... he didn't really care too much for presents last summer and this year he could hardly contain himself at the thought.

What could it be???

Then it was supper time and we enjoyed the nice afternoon with a BBQ on the deck.  Adrian was starting to get pretty tired at this point after his long day of celebrating and I have to admit I was right there with him.  I made him a monkey cake which turned out better than I expected and he enjoyed the fact that he got to eat all of the decorations on it, including the donut ears.  I can only imagine he wasn't feeling so hot after all of the treats he had that day.  It was a great day indeed, but I am happy on so many levels that it only happens once a year!

Blowing out the candles.

Monkey cake.

Playing the guitar and getting some birthday wishes from Uncle Brian.

On a personal note, I have really struggled with him turning four.  Four is definitely NOT a baby anymore and I sure miss baby Adrian in a big way.  But it is awesome to watch him grow and develop into the little person God has designed him to be.  And there is no turning back so I just have to get over it!  Although he really gets a kick out of it when I tell him he has to stop growing because he knows he gets to say 'No' and get away with it.

A few highlights of his 4th year that come to mind:

• Becoming a great big brother.  I truly think he really loves and enjoys Vivian.  When he was opening his presents he offered one to Vivian to open.  It is so sweet that he even thought to do that, let alone actually did it.
• Starting preschool.  This was a biggie.  Before we started he was a Mommy's boy in a big way.  Sometimes it would be a fight for me to even miss his bedtime after spending the entire day with him.  The start of school was rough with him crying his little eyes out for about 3 months of dropoffs straight.  But I am happy to report that he now runs off with with his pals as soon as he arrives and occasionally even forgets to kiss me good-bye.  (Okay, not so happy about the last part.)
• Learning.  I can see Adrian's talents emerging and it is amazing to me.  He has a very impressive vocabulary and still loves to read and talk.  He often makes up stories or songs out of the blue.  And he uses grown up expressions like "I just realized...", "Occasionally..." and "Why do you ask?" that just seems so strange coming out of his little mouth.  I think he is also developing a strong interest in music as can be seen from his requested birthday presents of a drum set, guitar and keyboard.  (Although he assures me he still wants to be a construction worker so his first love is still alive and well.)
• Becoming a social butterfly.  Adrian used to bury his head in my leg or shoulder when someone talked to him but now he is very interested in talking to anybody at any time.  He is that typical kid giving you random facts at the grocery store.  (One of his favorite for some odd reason is that our new house has 3 bathrooms.)
• Becoming more independent.  He goes to the bathroom on his own without even telling us anymore, sleeps in his big boy bed without rails, showers and dresses himself (which can produce interested outfits).  Definitely not a baby.

Happy 4th Birthday Adrian.  You couldn't be more loved and cherished.  We can't wait to see what this next year brings.   ~Mommy

To Uncle Brian's house we go

We had such a great time in Halifax this past weekend visiting the ever lovely couple, Brian and Tracey.  They were very good sports about us dragging them all over creation, waking them outrageously early in the morning and leaving their fridge milk and fruit free upon our departure. 

We went to the wildlife park which was a big hit.  Adrian was more interested in the animals this year and made it around the whole place, hardly whining about walking (which is not the norm). This was the first year we got to see the moose up close and personal and that was neat.  Who knew they have fuzzy antlers this time of year?  Vivian loves being in her stroller so she was all about the zoo but did walk a fair amount as well.  She also got a few special rides from Uncle Brian and got to feel like a giraffe.  You'll see what I mean in the photos below.  She preferred the most 'low-key' animals with the rabbits being her favorite.

We're on vacation... why not relax?

Vivian enjoying the view from up high (except for when Uncle Brian whacked her head into a  few tree branches)

"I think I'll go see the rabbits again..... or not.... what is that!?!?!"

Feeding the ducks is always fun.

We went into the city on Saturday to walk around and view the buskers.  It was great.  I would be hard pressed to come up with an activity that is entertaining to ALL of us but this was actually one of them.  The busker show we sat through (flameoz) was great and left me wanting more as it was the condensed afternoon show.  Adrian was enthralled and sat through all 45 minutes of the show without hardly blinking.  Anyone who knows my Adrian knows how rare it is for him to even sit for 45 minutes, let alone quietly and with his full attention.  When I was trying to explain what a 'busker' was I mentioned the words 'fire-eater' and from that point on I realized that I would not get any rest until I found the boy a 'fire-eater' to watch.  We managed to find not one, but two of them on Saturday.  Funny the sort of things that grab a child's attention.  Halifax is such a nice city, I wish we had had longer to explore.

On top of our touring around we really enjoyed visiting with Bri and Tracey.  We all enjoyed a nice swim and I am happy that both of the kids are still enjoying the water.  (I thought PEI might have been a fluke.) 

Our only family photo from the summer thus far.  This is as good as it gets.  (Jamie looks like he is creeping up on us.)

 An early birthday present for Adrian.  Thanks for the drum set guys!  (Oh I sure hope it lasts long enough for Brian and Tracey to have kids because we will be passing it along... lol.)  They all look pretty happy, eh?

Oh Vivian, you're such a little ham and we love it that way.

One new thing I have discovered about my lovely daughter... she can be a bit of a ham at times.  Don't let her catch you laughing at something naughty that she is doing or she will do it non-stop for the next week.  (Prime example - rubbing spaghetti/yogurt/oatmeal in her hair.)  She loves to make us laugh and can crack Adrian up like no one else. (Which of course makes my heart melt.)  She has such a fun personality and the most gorgeous smile ever (complete with a full set of pearly whites).  She is also starting to try to say lots of new words... boy watch out when this one starts talking!  I am sure she will have a lot to say.

She loves the reaction she gets when she puts these on.  She will put them on and then come around the corner and just wait for Jamie to see her.

This is her at her favorite spot, trying to convince me to sit with her by patting the table.  Really, who could turn down this invitation?

Giving Adrian a good-night hug and kiss.  He is too busy watching cartoons to notice. (Men!)

 Teasing Daddy by wearing his hat.

The aforementioned sphagetti incident.  She looks like she has some deadly disease.

Lazy days of summer

Yes I have been a lazy blogger and even photographer this past month.  But the weather has been far too nice to be behind the keyboard and I am too busy having fun with the kiddos to even photograph it.  Oh we are having a lovely summer at the Jones house.  With two weeks of vacation under our belts we have been busy doing all sorts of fun things.  It *almost* makes me look forward to the slower pace that Fall will inevitably bring.  Almost.

Jamie has been busy working on the house with his Dad and a few other guest helpers like my Dad and his pals Scotty and Trent.  The windows, doors, insulation and siding are almost complete and boy does it look good.  But more importantly I am looking forward to being toasty warm this year while maintaining a smaller heating bill.  I can't say enough about how awesome Jamie is at this sort of thing... his work is impeccable and there is nothing that I ask for that he can't do.  God certainly blessed me with a handy husband, that's for sure!  I will post some before and after photos when he is done.

Vivian LOVES this adorable picnic table that Jamie whipped up out of the blue one Friday night.  If I make the mistake of taking her out on the deck before supper she has an attack when I try to take her in to her boring old high chair to eat.

 Adrian checking out the military vehicles for NB day... a big hit this year.

Running around the splash pad in Connell Park in Woodstock... a big hit if you are ever in the area on a hot day.

Enjoying a pre-parade picnic in Woodstock.

Summer is fun, but exhausting.  We didn't quite make it through this day.

Adrian riding Grampy Underhill's lawnmower against my better judgement. (-:

Vivian shushing the dog. A handy skill at our house.