Our first family sledding experience. from Heather S on Vimeo.

A Christmas Preview

Robbie showing off his new moves Daddy taught him from Heather S on Vimeo.

Meeting Santa

December 11 @ 4:27pm

Robbie opened up his bedroom door and came upstairs to see me after his nap. For the past 3 years, 4 months and 1 day he's either cried or called for me to come get him.

Gingerbread Cookies!

This was by far the highlight of our day. Robbie picked out which cookie cutters we were going to use (I've got a big tub full of different shapes, letters, numbers, etc) He got a little carried away and didn't want to use just the Christmas ones but he had a T-Rex and a Stegosaurus that he just HAD to use. We agreed to add one dinosaur into the mix, he was so excited.

I love doing things like this with him and I can't wait to do it every year.

Pictures can be found here:
http://s741.photobucket.com/albums/xx53/toddlerrobbie/2009-12-06/?albumview=slideshow

Snowfall

We're in the thick of a winter storm right now and my Robbie couldn't be happier! We had some breakfast and while I was cleaning things up Robbie ran to the front door a started putting on his snowboots. He was having a good time with Sophie, he really liked that he was allowed to throw snowballs at her.
Little Lana and I watched from the window. Here are some pictures of our morning:

Robbie's First Skating Class

He did awesome! It's amazing the difference within just 45 minutes. Here's a couple of clips of what he accomplished today.

Potty Training

We are soooooooooooooooooooooooo close to having a fully potty trained little man! He's been pooping on the potty (daily... sometime twice a day) for the past 4 days! The cool thing is that he tells me - I don't have to catch him in the act or be on the lookout for the classic squats, grunting and squished up faces.

The pee seems to be a little trickier to catch, especially while he's at Grammie and Grampies. He plays a lot and therefore drinks a lot, which in turn means more pee.

HOORAY FOR ROBBIE!!!

Soldier Boi

He told me!

He actually said "mommy, robbie has to poop".... and he pooped on the potty - TWO DIFFERENT TIMES! He's really into these Kinder Surprises because each egg is different, I hope he keeps it going while we're down in Cow town.

And the cherry on the top of it all: Lana said "mum"!

Fall Photo

Awwww

Robbie got invited to his first birthday party today! (non family related)

Kailey's Birthday

Some highlights..

Happy 3rd Birthday Kailey!!

My Boys

It's hard for a little guy to keep track!

When you talk to Robbie about everything that's going on it's hard for him to keep everything in check (understandably so... we've got a busy couple of months ahead of us!) He'll tell you(over and over) that after a couple "night night's" it's Kaileys birthday and we get to eat cake and sing Happy Birthday, then  it's Halloween and he gets Halloween candy and then it's Christmas and Robbie gets to ask Santa for toys.

This all started thanks to a Toys 'R Us flyer and a whitty Mommy that gave him a "maybe Santa will get you one". That opened the flood gates of questions: "When is Santa coming? Can we go see Santa? Please can we see Santa?" After I told him that the Christmas tree needs to go up, snow needs to be outside and we have to have Hallowen then we can go talk to Santa and put in his toy request. So then he started asking when Halloween was, "not until after Kailey's birthday"... "Daddy, please have Kailey birthday?!" We told him soon. So all he talks about now is what is on his agenda in these upcoming weeks/months (there are a couple events he's missing but the little man can only handle so much!)

A Proud Mommy Moment

He has come such a long way in his drawing, I just had to share his new talent!

You May Ask Yourself..

What does Robbie do when Mommy takes Lana upstairs to get fed but Robbie wants to stay downstairs?

That's right... he decides to pick off my laptop keys like they're scabs.

3yr Appt

He was the perfect little boy at the doctors office. He stood on the scale nice and tall and didn't budge when the nurse took his blood pressure! He was excited to see the Dr (Lana's pediatrician) Robbie sat nice and still while he listened to his heart and lungs (a lot more than the previous Dr did) he checked out "the goods" and said that the scar looked great (as in barely noticeable). He's did really well and he's in perfect health! We go every year to see him... I feel so much more comfortable with him, the other one was a little too laid back for my liking.

He was such a good boy that Daddy treated him to a movie last night!

Your Giggle for the Day

I had finished giving Robbie a bath when I realized that my little Lana was in desperate need of a bum change so I ask Robbie to put his undies on while I took care of Lana. I'm busy wiping away her dirty bum when all of the sudden this naked military boy with a baby walker runs into the room screaming with excitement! I laughed so hard, he was so happy to be "free". Thankfully my camera was sitting right on the counter (and I'm even more thankful that my new D90 can record video!)

A Dry Day

Today was Robbie's first day where he went the ENTIRE day dry (we even went out for the majority of the morning/afternoon)! No dribbles, no accidents and no pooping in his undies! Woohoo!!! This morning right after we put Lana down for her morning nap I took him for a pee on the potty and then we went to play with his toys. After a couple of minutes he stood up and looked at me while he did the i-gotta-go-potty dance, he was having an internal battle on whether he should go hide behind the lazy-boy or tell me that he has to poop. I asked him if he has to go potty and he said yes and the rest is history! He was praised with two mini kitkat bars, he kept telling me (with a mouth full of chocolate) that he gets "chockake" every time he poops on the potty and that he's such a big boy.

I am one proud mama.

First Hockey Game

We took BOTH kiddies to a preseason game last night and they both were super stars. Robbie was really excited that he could clap and yell as loud as he wanted. They lasted 2 periods, which is pretty good seeing as though it was past their bed times (too bad they didn't sleep in the next morning!)

Our Morning

Lana is so interested in whatever Robbie's doing. This morning Robbie was coloring and little Lana just had to be a part of the action. Both of my kiddies are growing up so fast :(

I just had the time of my life

I was lucky enough to go on a date with my two main guys. Words cannot describe the amount of warm and fuzzies I got from watching, of all movies, Transformers (2).

It was such an amazing night. Robbie held both of our hands as we walked into the theatre, he was so excited to have his own bag of popcorn and "pop", he kept on whispering to Daddy and I that he loved us... at one point he looked at Daddy and rubbed his face, gave him a hug and then looked over at me and did the same thing (talk about melting my heart!) His booster seat seemed to be a little uncomfortable for him (100% plastic, it would have bothered me too) so he sat on Daddy's lap for a little bit and then he came over to my lap. He would rest his head on my shoulder and just snuggle with me while he watched the Transformers in battle. We left the theatre just after 8, the movie had a good 30+minutes left but it was someones bed time. He walked out of the theatre and thanked us and said it was a great movie.

What a BIG treat for Mommy. I got to go on a date with two awesome guys, thank you boys - I love you.

Robbie's First Day on the Ice!

All in all, it was a great first attempt. Daddy took Robbie out for the first little bit and then Mommy got a turn to go out together. It's been so long since both Colin and I have been on skates so it was a little tricky at first. At the end he was doing a lot better, I had taken off his gloves so that I could get a good grip on his hands. I tell ya, it's a good workout holding that little boy up! As we were leaving the mall he asked if he was going to go skating tomorrow, I think we'll make this a weekly outing!

Hockey Robbie

Yesterday Daddy took Robbie to go get skates, hockey gloves, elbow pads and helmet. He's enrolled in skating lessons starting November!! We want to get him into one more class, I'm trying to decide what he'd like more: dance or taekwondo.

Back when Daddy was signing Robbie up for classes, Robbie and I went into the arenas to check out what it's all about. He was SO excited. The little guys were having races, blacks against whites. They lined up behind the red line and then the whistle would blow and these kids would B-line it to the other end. Robbie was getting all excited, he kept jumping up and down and screaming "go... go....GO!"


I took the kids for a walk last night and Robbie asked if he could wear his "hockey elbow pads and hockey gloves". So off we went, in 27 degree weather, with my son wearing hockey gloves and elbow pads. The cool thing was he got distracted while he was running and he tripped over his feet but he put his hands out and braced the fall with his gloves!

Every time he sees his hockey equipment he asks if he's going to play hockey... November isn't going to come fast enough!

I've done it again...

I've used up all the space on Robbie's photobucket site (where all his pictures/videos are). I've started another one here and the link on the left has also been updated.

It's been four years!

Happy Anniversary My Love.

I am Mommy

Story time.

We're dropping off Sophie at the kennel and Robbie's really excited that I let him hold onto her leash. He kept on saying "this is Sophie" to everyone while he looks for acknowledgement (I was busy signing paperwork). A lady was leaving and he lets her know what his puppy's name is, she replies with "and what's your name?"

"This Sophie (points to the dog). This Robbie (pats his belly). This Heather (points to me)"

Me: ummm, no. I'm Mommy!
He just looked at me and giggled.

He did it again when we were up in Cold Lake, he introduced me to the waitress as Heather... the little bugger!

A Cold Lake Visit

Just a couple teasers...

Potty Training - Part Deux

So today I felt like we took a big step forward in his training. I took the kids to Walmart to run some errands, while we were getting ready to go I asked for Robbie to bring me a pull-up. He was a little upset that he couldn't wear his undies, so I compromised and put the pull-up on over his undies and told him that if he has to pee to tell Mommy and that after we're done in the store we'll use the stores "special potty". When we got there, we took about 30-45 mins wandering around the store when Robbie noticed the golden arches (McDonalds) and started proclaiming that he was "OH SO hungry" (he had a Yop, 4 croissants and a banana for breakfast... either he's going through a growth spurt or he's got a serious weakness for fries) So I used it to my advantage telling him that after he eats we're going to use the store potty, to which he was quite excited to get this process going. He ate all his food (guess it is a growth spurt!) and then we headed to the washroom - by the time we got there it was a good 1 -1.5hrs since his last potty visit... his undies and pull-up were BONE DRY! I was so excited! He pee'd on the big toilet without and issues. I could hear the ladies giggling at me in the stalls beside us, I was so excited.

Tonight after dinner (he had a ham and cheese sandwich with cucumber and a bunch of carrots - he's eating SO WELL lately!) we went to the park and he didn't want to wear a pull-up. We reminded him that he couldn't get Spiderman wet (new undies we picked up) and he "ya ya'd" us like he's heard it a hundred times and he's a pro at this. We spent about an hour outside and on our way home we saw him grab his crotch and he let out an "uh oh" - we thought the worst. When we got home I put him on the potty and there was the tiniest little wet spot on his undies ... he must have realized that he was peeing and grabbed himself to stop it!

Poops are another story, they're hit and miss. He's figured out how to poop while standing, which makes catching him in the act that much more difficult. He HATES the feeling of poop in his undies, so I know he's going to catch on soon. When he does poop on the potty he always gets us to leave the room - it's a very private matter apparently, lol.

Robbie's 3rd Birthday

Pictures and run down of the big day will be trickling in.

Auntie Alison took these pictures of the kidlets and I couldn't help but make it into a progression picture. These two are too cute for words.

New Pictures...

I posted them here. More to come.

Gido, Great Baba and Great Gido Visit

We had a wonderful visit. I love seeing Ricks parents, they're super sweet and I love how much our family makes them happy. They came over today to celebrate Robbies birthday with him and he was tickled pink with all the toys and goodies he got. Thank you again guys! This was their first time meeting Lana so it was an extra special visit. We had hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch and had an ice cream cake for both Robbie and Great Gido (his birthday is on the 9th!)

I'm still working on some of the pictures (Colin's letting me use his big computer with a different photoshop program) but here are a couple of teasers.

"No Mommy, Daddy said yes"

WHAT?!

Either your Father and I, all of the sudden, have completely different views on parenting, discipline and even life in general OR you're lying to me!

Something as simple as:
"Robbie please don't hit Sophie"
"No Mommy, Daddy said yes"

or

"Robbie, please don't run"
"No Mommy, Daddy said yes"

He started saying it one day while Colin was at work. The first time I thought it was cute.... he's using his noggin to try and get his way. Now he says it on a daily basis... not so cute. My new task is to break it down for him and explain that lying is not nice.

Video Cont...

Video Dump

This Morning

Robbie woke up in great spirits (probably because he knew he was going to April's and then Nan was going to come visit). He pooped in his pull up and told me right away "uh oh, Robbie pooped. Poop goes in potty, Mommy!"

We got him dressed, went on the potty and then we could hear Lana waking. We ran up the stairs to go get her and he ran right up to her crib and asked me to pick him up. We both looked into her crib and started talking to her. He would repeat every single word I was saying to her, like a parrot. As soon as I picked her up he asked me (in a VERY polite way) if he could hold Lana. He sat in her rocking chair and I put Lana in his arms. The two of them looked at each other and giggled and he kept on saying that she was "so silly" and "SO funny", he wanted to read her Good Night Moon book to her but I had to intervene for a diaper change and feeding. I promised him that after she ate he could hold her again. He didn't forget the promise, right after the feeding he asked if it was his turn to hold her... what a sweet little man!

Here's a picture of my two kiddies... I love them so much and I'm SO proud of both of them.

Bonnie and Elyssa

After 17ish years I finally got to spend some WAY overdue time with a close friend of mine from my past. She was also an army brat in Germany and we have shared a lot of amazing memories together. Bonnie and her daughter, Elyssa, stayed with us for 4 days and they fit right into our family. She's like Marry Poppins, kids flock to her and she is amazing with them!

I'm missing my family a lot lately and her visit did wonders for me. Hopefully we can go out west soon, I can't wait to meet her son and hubby!

Big, big..... BIG NEWS

ROBBIE POOPED ON THE POTTY!!!

Story to follow...

Potty Training

It's been almost a week and my little guy's doing pretty well. I'm taking a casual approach to it and it seems to be working. He has yet to poop on the potty but can hold his pee (30mins) for the potty. Mornings aren't his forte but the more we do it the more he's willing to hop on there and do his business and get a little toy for his reward.

Now that we're potty training and I'm realizing how big he's getting we've been doing some investigating into preschools. We found a school downtown which has gotten great reviews and we're going to try and sign Robbie up!

This Morning

The New 'Do'

He looks like an entirely different kid.

Testing 1,2,3...

Where did my sweet polite little boy go? When/How can I get him back?

Our simplest little requests have been blown out to these rediculous issues. It's so frustrating; he forgets his manners, he expects to be rewarded before he's done good, he doesn't want to help out like he use to... I feel like we've taken about 10 steps backwards with him.

Colin's been great with him, the simplest things that Robbie knows he shouldn't be doing means an immediate time out. He gets down to Robbie's level and explains the reason for the punishment and why it's wrong. It's hard for me to have a 6 month old that constantly needs/wants me and have this toddler who's CONSTANTLY testing his boundaries and seeing what he can get away with. I get worn out.

The Chef

Daddy introduced Robbie to the world or fire pits. Together they cooked hot dogs and roasted marshmallows for smores! He understands that the pit is hot and that he needs to keep his distance. He either sat on Daddy's lap or stood right beside him. Mommy was lucky enough to have a hot dog made by chef Robbie - DELICIOUS! To our surprise, Robbie ate all of hit hot dog. We got a whole bunch of fire wood so that we can have many nights by the fire. Here's a couple of pictures of the night...