To grandma's house we go

Today was another cold day, so we decided to plan an inside day. It had been a few weeks since we last visited my grandparents' house, so we thought we'd stop by there.

My grandparents are the sweetest and kindest people one could meet. They love playing hosts and have everything ready for visitors at all times. Within minutes of taking our shoes off, the basket of toys is brought into the livingroom for the kids, the table is covered with plates and cups, and food and coffee are soon to be served. I don't know how they do it, but it's like they knew we were coming - only it's the same way every single time!

Elliot was anxious to tell his great-grandparents all about his daycare, his friends, and all sorts of stories. Meanwhile, Aiden was fighting for their attention to show them toys and sing some songs. My poor grandparents must have been overwhelmed! I felt awful because really, our boys were simply being cute and excited to talk to them, but on the other hand, they were so talkative and energetic that I think it ended up being too much at once. Next time we visit, we should probably play outside and run off some of that energy before we walk in their door. hehe ;)

All in all, it ended up being a fun day - at least for us! It was great to see my grandparents and they were really happy to have us there. We'll just have to be better about going back to visit them sooner next time! :)

Elliot's 1st concert

Elliot is in his last year at daycare before he starts first grade in the fall. As a tradition, all of these 'graduating kids' form a "Five-Year-Olds' Club" where they meet with all of the other 5-year-olds in our town once a week. They do all sorts of activities together, including choir.

So today, the kids had a concert for their parents. They stood there looking so big and proud. It was absolutely adorable and being the emotional mom that I am, I of course had tears in my eyes after just 5 seconds.

Elliot's daycare group sat in the way back. Elliot's on the left side of the room, to the right of the man with the orange shirt. I recorded a couple videos as well. I'll have to try to upload one on here.
Good job today, Elliot! Your dadio and I are really proud of you!!!

Splish splash

It was really cold outside today so we surprised our boys by taking them to the pool.

As we pulled up, the kids were cheering and looking out their windows with big eyes. They couldn't wait to jump in the water. The parking lot wasn't that crazy (yet!), which made me really happy! Nothing is worse than swimming in an over-crowded pool.

Like always, the day became a lot more adventurous than just a fun day of swimming. It started out when Mike realized he forgot his swim trunks. He dropped us off by the door so the kids could enjoy the water for an extra half an hour while he drove home to get his bag. Aiden and Elliot ran in ahead of me. Before I managed to get out the words "Be careful," Aiden slips on the wet floor and starts to bleed from his mouth. Elliot ran to get paper while I comforted the little guy. Fifteen minutes later, we're all cleaned up and changed in our suits.

Mike eventually showed up too, so although it never goes quite as planned, we had an awesome day with our little family! <3

Sleepover fun

Our boys get spoiled by love and attention by our family! They are so lucky to have such amazing grandparents and unbelievable aunts. This weekend, they each got to have a sleepover. Aiden went to Marianne's for a night and Elliot stayed at my parents' house. Although they love being together, it's really nice for them to be apart once in a while too. Not just for their sake, but for my sisters and my parents as well.

Marianne is such a great auntie and always finds fun stuff for the kids to do when they stay with her. My parents are the exact same. They always take the kids out on an adventure!

On Sunday, my parents took Elliot out skiing by their house. Marianne had taken Aiden on a walk with the kick-sled and brought his skis incase he'd use them. They met up with my parents by the ski arena so here are some of their pictures from that day.

Brrrrr!

It has been extremely cold lately, which hasn't allowed us to play outside as much as we'd like. Our skiing trips have been canceled and our sledding trips have been cut very short. Mike and Elliot made it out to play hockey once last week, but for the most part, we've just ran in and out between the car. No fun!

Today, the sun was finally shining so it warmed up a tiny bit around noon. I hurried and got the kids dressed and we ran outside to enjoy the fresh air for a little while. We threw on our skis and headed out.
Aiden decided to throw his poles to the side and try without them. He did great! He wasn't too pleased when I tried to get him to smile for the camera because THAT he did NOT have time for. hehe ;)

Elliot found a big hill to practice on so he spent most of his time going up and down there. Let's just hope the weather gets a bit warmer so we can go skiing again soon!

Happy New Years!

I love a New Year! New chances. New goals. New hope.

I'm not a big believer in New Year Resolutions really, but they do amuse me. It gives people a chance to look back at their lives and think about what they should change. I think it's important to step back and look at your life. What do you want to focus more of your time on? What do you need to make more time for? What have you always dreamed about, but never followed through with?

Resolutions don't usually last, but I like that we try. I love that we hope, plan, and dream!

I hope you've thought of something you would like to do for yourself this year!
Happy New Years, friends!