Happy Birthday Boys!

My boys each celebrated a birthday over Spring Break, Todd turned 6 and Scott turned 7 two weeks later. Last night we had a joint party for them. Todd had a hockey theme and Scott went with Wall*E.

This was the scene before the guests arrived... Scott waiting patiently and looking out the front window for his school friends to come!

- 2 Birthday Boys
- 2 cakes
- 2 tables
- 2 sets of friends
- But only ONE party and one shared movie!

The boys each had 4 friends over, and Todd technically had 5 friends because he let Elise join his table - what a guy! I sure noticed a big difference in the kids from Kindergarten to Grade one... wow! Way more energy in Gr. 1, plus they are so much more familiar with each other that they seem to know what the other ones are thinking. It was great to watch my kids interact with their friends.

Here are a few pictures...

The Wall-E cake started like this, with just a black outline - I was tempted to leave it like this for an abstract kind of look. But, I didn't!


All coloured in with icing. This was fun to do, but the next cake was definitely easier!

Todd wanted a hockey cake, and this one was decorated in just a few minutes.


Todd loved it.


Now that the party is over, these posters are going on the wall in Todd's room.

Scott surrounded by Wall-E things on the other side of the dining room.

Extreme Makeover... Home Edition - (Part Two)

Here are some pics of the boys' new room... formerly my stamping room. Check out this post to see how it used to look in this room. What a switch!

We chose Old Olive and Brocade Blue (the closest samples to these in the paint store... they are called something else at Home Depot).

Behind the door is a shoe holder... this one is Todd's and he has already made it the home for stray toys and some mismatched socks!

Todd showing you Scott's bed.

Todd on his own bed! He claimed the green side of the room! These beds were their bunk beds in their last room, but they requested that they get their own beds when we moved them, so we took the bunks apart and made the bottom double bunk back into a single bed.

The "blue side of the room" is Scott's domain...

The boys were super ecstatic that they got the big walk in closet, and they have already planned out forts to build in there! Here is Scott's shoe/misc. collector... it hangs on the closet door.

Once again, there is nothing on their walls.... yet... but Steve has a vision for the the Canucks logo to be painted on there, so I will get to that as soon as I have a minute! I have to ask the boys if they would like that first. And, once again, there are some pretty cool SU! home decor options right now with extreme sports pictures. They come in navy, so that would be a perfect option for their room.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll try to get some pics posted of what we did in the basement recently, too. That will be the "part three" installment!!!

Music Classes

Earlier this month, my boys started music lessons. The classes are called, "Music for Little Mozarts" and they love the program! Scott is the know-it-all in the class, and always has the answer to the questions... the teacher has to say, " ____ do you know the answer?" So that Scott doesn't give all the answers to every single question ☺ That's my boy! He loves doing his homework, too. I wonder if that will last after a few years of music lessons? (probably, if he really does take after me!!) They get to play the piano, but so far it's been lots of other music exploration, as well. It is a group class, and there are 4 kids in the class... we make up half the class!!

In their last lesson they were learning about forte and piano (loud and soft). Scott got the LOUD tambourine, and Todd got the soft sounding bells! Todd really loves music class and he loves Mrs. Marilyn, the teacher... I think he wants to be the teacher's pet, but he is also the youngest in the class. It is so cute to watch him sit beside the bigger kids. Every once in awhile he zones out, but then on the way home he starts singing one of the songs, so he was obviously paying attention!

Last week, on the way home, Todd came out with this: "Planyo lessons are more funner than making paper boats!" Well, now, if that didn't just melt my heart. Makes me know that it's worth every cent! I love it that at this age, I get to be in the lessons with them as well.


Here are Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear... the 2 heroes of Music Lessons!

Future McD's employees???

A couple weeks ago Steve picked up some dinner at McD's and the kids got some pretty creative toys in their happy meals... this was one of them - the drive-thru headset. Now, talk about hours of entertainment and video footage! Even Steve took a turn as the drive-thru empoyee, but I don't know if he'd appreciate me posting his rendition of "would you like fries with that?!!!!"

It takes a Daddy.....

...to go walking with boys in the rain! Scott and Todd are out for a walk with Steve right now, and are most delighted that someone would finally take them out in the rain with these super cute umbrellas from Auntie Marit!

Family Happenings

This is my 300th post. Wow. Just did blog candy, so I don't have anything more right now... maybe at 400, or at more hits... I actually just do it whenever I feel the urge.

Here are a couple family happenings shots. First, Steve and the boys coming out of Home Depot with our fence stain.


Steve staining the fence - inspired by the great job the neighbour did on his fence, so we even got the exact same stain.


With the basement playroom all set to go, we went to Ikea and got some toy organizers, and hauled all the toys from the small main floor playroom downstairs, and Elise is getting the small playroom with just baby-safe toys, and all the little people stuff that we have.

Scott left Elise with a parting gift in the playroom, as he graduates to the new, bigger playroom downstairs - a life-sized self-portrait on the wall. Hmm... where did that purple crayon come from? I guess I could get out the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but on second thought, I think I will leave it on the wall. It's a playroom, and although I would prefer Scott to draw on paper or on the Magnadoodle, it's kind of cute (don't worry, I won't tell him that I like it). He was sleeping when we discovered it, so I haven't even talked to him about it yet. He has only ever drawn on the wall in hidden places in the house... wall beside his dresser, wall beside MY dresser, around the corner in the playroom, etc. And thankfully, as far as I know, he has never drawn on the wall at anyone else's house... but he usually signs his name, so you would know. Not very inconspicuous! Maybe next time we go to Ikea I will actually get him that art easle that we saw there. But Steve said he doesn't ever want to go to Ikea again.... we'll see!

Elise is a little more interested in tearing things apart than setting them up.

Scott's Art

Makes a mother proud.....

Adventures in Swimming Lessons

For the next 2 weeks I get to go on a double date with my 2 boys to the swimming pool every day! Today was the first lesson. I thought Todd would be the brave one, and he was for awhile... he stepped into the water first, wore the biggest smile, etc. But after about 20 minutes of the 30 minute lesson he just said he was DONE. He refused to go back in the water. Scotty definitely had a better lesson today than Todd did. Scott let the teacher lead him around the water on his front and back, and even jumped in the water from the side of the pool. I think he might have been trying to impress the little girl in his swim class... she has already taken swimming lessons this summer so she was the bravest of all.

But with the thought in their heads that it will be impossible to ever go to Duck Island when they are older without learning how to swim, I think I can get him in the pool again tomorrow!!! There are only 3 kids in their class, so it is a great size for learning how to swim. (Duck Island is the Disneyworld waterpark... I think! they've been talking about it for weeks after watching a Disney promo dvd that we got for free....) edit: Louise commented that she's never heard of Duck Island, so guess they got it somewhere else... when I figure out where it is, I just might take my kids there - you never know what is going on inside the mind of a 3 year old!!

Fun??? at the Fair!

We went to the Fair last night. And Scott so desperately wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel - well, there was one in Charlotte's Web, you know! So, we looked for something a little more the boys' speed, and they soon fell in love with this Dragon Wagon ride. Sure... we watched a few other kids go on it first and they thought they could totally do it.

Well... take a look at how it all went down...
Counting tickets....
Settling down for a fun ride!
Still happy... once around
Sheer terror - they stopped the ride early!
Elise had fun at the fair too!!!

Smart little guy!

Ok, I know this is 2 kid posts in a row.... but look what Scotty did yesterday! I am totally a bragging mom today... this puzzle has 100 pieces! He asked for help a couple times, but I mainly just took pictures!!! I bought it for Scott on our "date" on Thursday night. We went to drop off some stamping orders, then to the Dollar store, IGA, the Drugstore and finally the Co-op. Sounds like fun, eh? Well, Scotty had a blast, and his favourite thing of the day was getting to pick out a puzzle for himself and one for Todd. (Todd was not quite as successful with his puzzle and it quickly went back into the box!!!).

Warms my Heart!

So, my kids like stickers... a lot! Todd appeared one day like this... Gotta love him!



Here is Scott with the 2 beautiful hanging baskets Steve and the kids gave me... just need to put them up now. The bench was from my inlaws for my birthday on May 2nd.

And this is the card they made for me! Look at how Scott wrote his own name!!!

Self-Portrait

Scott gave me permission to share his best drawing to date... a self-portrait. Right down to the ears and pockets on his jeans. He has not drawn a picture quite like this before. He also very carefully coloured in his shirt and jeans. If I had known he was going to make such a masterpiece I would have given him real cardstock and not just the back of this month's Stampin' Up! flyer!