Christmas Concert

Matthew had his first stage performance today. He played Frosty the snowman in his preschool performance. I was impressed that he did not get stage fright as the Terry Fox Theatre in PoCo was packed with parents and grandparents to see the production.

I unfortunately had to edit the video because it was too large to upload, but you still get to see most of the performance ( I just cut the beginning where he is supposed to be standing still).

We were very proud of our little snowman. (In case you didn't recognize him he was the one in the red scarf.)

He had a long wait before his part of the show. The boy next to him kept him entertained. At one point he even tried to eat Matthew's carrot nose - too cute.

They spotted Santa up on the balcony of the theatre and were a lile distracted. They even started waving at him.

This was Matthew as he sat on the stage and started to see the theatre fill up with people - just a little stunned, but he survived.

First Skating Lessons

This Saturday was Matthew's first skating lesson. His instructor Anthony is a fun guy. To get the kids out on the ice he skated each one out and plopped them on the ice. Then they spent a lot of time crawling around on the ice, laying on their tummies, and trying to stand up.

Once Anthony got them up on their fee he had them practice stomping their feet to make ice shavings. That's when most of them lost their balance and fell. No wonder they all have to wear snowsuits and full face helmets.

Despite spending most of the time sitting or crawling on the ice Matthew had a great time and can' wait to go back next week. Maybe he'll actually stand up on his own next week.

Hockey Gear

Matthew is getting ready for his first skating lessons. He is so excited to learn so he can start hockey lessons.

Happy Halloween!

What a perfect night! The weather was warm and dry - we couldn't ask for anything better. There was even a nearly full moon which made for a bright evening. The boys had comfortable, cute costumes and a gang of friends to trick-or-treat with. We went out with Joel & Cooper, Marcus & Victoria, and Tristan.

Matthew is a very handsome Batman - Dark Knight. Everyone LOVED Michael's little monkey suit. The banana in the back pocket was a cute finishing touch. The way he waddled he truly looked like a little monkey.
Matthew of course knew what Halloween was all about, but Michael caught on quite quickly. He was running up to doors with the big kids, pushing his way to the front and then reaching into the bowls of candy and helping himself. Everyone thought he was so adorable they let him take as much as he wanted. He either really likes the colour orange or he loves peanut butter because he seemed to grab alot of reeses peanut butter cups and reeses pieces.

After we finished trick or treating in our complex I dropped Michael off at home with John so Matthew and I could continue trick-or-treating with the big kids. We also got Matthew a new bag since his was getting so heavy. At the end of the night we came home for a hot drink and
Matthew got to eat some of his treats. We dumped all of his goodies out on the table (no this doesn't not include all the candies Michael got!) and he sorted through it all. When we said it was time to go to bed he actually asked if he could have another minute to look at all his candy. He was in heaven.


Matthew thinks he has enough treats to last him until NEXT HALLOWEEN!

A day at the PNE

We have had a fun-filled summer, which I will likely not get around to blogging. Sorry. But as we start to think about returning to school and work I will hopefully be better at regularly updating the blog again.

Yesterday we had a fabulous big kids day at the PNE. My friend,Lauretta, and I took Katie and Matthew for a day of junk food and rides - without the little siblings. It was a big treat for us all.

Apparently Matthew thinks we live in Britain - every car ride today he chose the right hand drive.

The kids rode all the junior rides. Matthew was aching to try the big kid rides too - he'll have to wait a few years unfortunately.

This look of joy was permanently etched on Matthew's face during
the roller coaster ride.

The cotton candy was a big hit too!

Both kids bravely stuck their heads in the lion's mouth
as well.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

Although Michael won't officially be one year old until the 30th, we celebrated this past Sunday with Nana, Papa, Grandma & Grandpa Dixon and Aunty Sammy. Aunty Heather and Uncle Corey were in Europe on their honeymoon, so they missed the festivities.

Michael was beaming as we all sang to him, and he did make an attempt at blowing out his candles, but Matthew beat him to it. What a helpful big brother!

As soon as the cake was set down within Michael's reach he grabbed a fist full of blue icing! What a monkey.
We offered him a piece of cake, but he really didn't seem to like it. We have noticed that Michael doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. He did enjoy squashing it though and rubbing it all over his body.

Once everyone had a piece of cake Michael was ready to join the blueman group, so we gave him a speedy bath so he could open his gifts with out recoloring the living room.

This is a shot of the birthday gang. Michael will have to get used to sharing his birthday with the rest of the family (not to mention many friends with birthdays at the end of June too). Papa (June 29th), Aunty Sammy (June 24th), Grandpa (June 26th).Michael knew just what to do with all the gifts too. He grabbed envelopes first, let Matthew open everything, and then settled down to play with a few things while I unwrapped things like clothing and cards.

Once everyone had gone home Michael had a nap. In the evening we took a nice picnic dinner to Harrier Park and let the boys play in the evening sun.

It was a wonderful day to bring to an end Michael's First Fabulous Year.

Kiddie Pool Fun

Auntie Sammy gave the boys a kiddie pool back in the cold days of Christmas time - what a lifesaver it was this week. With temperatures in the 30 degree range the boys had a great time cooling down in the water. Matthew is almost too big for the pool, but enjoys the freedom to splash like crazy - which he isn't allowed to do in the tub. Michael just spends his time crawling in and out, and trying to drink the water.