We were given a most excellent gift for Christmas this year - a picture puzzle of our horseback riding adventure in Colorado. 

The other day the kids decided it was time to give it a try.

It's really interesting to see the different strategies people employ when working on a visual problem. Cole just picked up every piece that looked similar to the part he was working on and tried to fit it in every space. Isabel was a bit more refined, gathering only the pieces she knew belonged together before trying to fit them together. Needless to say she didn't last long on the parts that were more complicated, but Cole continued to chip away at it until the very end. It was quite impressive.

We had such a great time doing this as a family. The kids really enjoyed piecing themselves together and it was fun to watch them work at it. Our trip to Colorado holds many great memory for us and this is such a fun way to relive them. Thanks so much to Doug and Karen for giving us such an awesome gift. We love it!

This year the kids decided they wanted to try to stay up and watch the Ball Drop on New Year's Eve. 

We weren't sure if they could make it, but to give them a sporting chance we made them takes naps in the afternoon...and they actually did! It was amazing. Both kids slept for 2+ hours in the middle of the day which just goes to show how exhausting the holidays are I guess.

Anyway, my mom and I picked up some sparkly hat and blowers for the occasion along with some sparkling juice. We were celebrating the New Year after all and we wanted to do it up right.

The highlight of the evening was when PSY came out with MC Hammer and sang Gangnam Style. Both kids were dancing around like the crazy children they are. I wish we had our video camera there so we could have captured it and embarrassed them later in life. It was priceless.

The next day, we watched the football games and enjoyed spending time with family we haven't seen in a long time. If anyone doesn't believe that my family bleeds maize and blue...think again. We're raising another generation of super fans.

And I just couldn't resist posting this picture of Cole with my cousin's beautiful little girl. 

It was a great New Year's Eve/Day. I can't wait to see how the kids do next year. I see a family tradition forming.

The day after Christmas we woke up before the sun and got a move on, hoping to make it to Michigan before the snow hit. It was a long trip. It always is, but this one seemed to drag on forever. The kids were restless and Cole owes me a whole roll of quarters for asking, "How much longer?" every 30 minutes.

Upon arriving both kids were excited to hear that Grandma had planned a mini-birthday celebration for Cole. There was pizza, cake, presents and cousins. What more could you ask for?

The next day there was more playtime, more gifts, and more happiness - everything Christmas should be.

Clearly Cole is serious about his legos. Do you see that face? Thank goodness he had an assistant.

Isabel also had a partner in crime.

Although her cousin wouldn't help her scare away the geese.

But Isabel is fearless when it comes to these things.. and apparently oblivious to the cold as well. I would just like to state that I didn't let her out of the house like that. *cough* claydidit *cough* I would never be so irresponsible.

We had many days of fun with family while we were in Michigan. Next up, the kids first ball drop.

Merry New Year everyone! This year as a self-improvement resolution, Clay has resolved that I'm going to start blogging again so I'm trying to live up to my end of his resolution (though I never signed anything) and get back on the blogging-band wagon. My first order of business is to share a little bit of our holiday fun.

Cole turned 10 on Christmas Eve! We celebrated by doing all of his favorite things - playing with legos, checking NORAD's Santa tracker and eating hamburgers, french fries, ceasar salad and ice cream cake. 

When it was time for bed, Cole read Twas the Night Before Christmas.

The kids tried to start our Christmas festivities early this year, but when I rolled over and saw the clock said 5:00 a.m. I told them they had to go back to bed until at least 6:30. They came back at 6:32 a.m. Sigh.

Santa left plenty of Playmobil and Lego sets to keep us busy for the whole day, but a nap was in order.

After skyping with family and some much need rest the rest of the day was spent enjoying our Christmas gifts and each other before we packed up the car for our trip to Michigan. It was a wonderful way to kick off our holiday celebrations!

What is it about running...

I despise 
starting again
enduring the slow burn of dormant muscles
reshaping themselves 
pushing forward

breathing hot, heavy air 
ripping fire through my lungs
panting, gasping, gulping

aching in my side, my knee, my calf
chanting in my brain
telling me to stop 
agonizing that I will

I love
the sights
the colors of the world overwhelming my vision
blue, green, red, orange, yellow
purple-skin, rainbow-mohawk, kilt-wearing freshmen 

the sounds
the noises of the world bombarding my ears
chirping, crashing, mowing, talking, driving
purple-skin, rainbow-mohawk, kilt-wearing freshmen laughter

the smells
the pungent odors of the world filling my nostrils
dirt, water, garbage, flowers, gasoline
purple-skin, rainbow-mohawk, kilt-wearing freshmen sweat

the magic
the ability to keep moving
through the world, through the pain, through the chanting
and find peace 
(even in a sea of purple-skin ,rainbow-mohawk, kilt-wearing freshmen)

What is it about running?

Here's how it's gone so far...

7:00 a.m. - Alarm goes off. I actually get out of bed.

7:00 - 7:20 a.m. - Pack 2 school lunches. Make mental note that I need more tupperware.

7:20 - 7:55 a.m. - Make breakfast (hashbrowns & scrambled eggs)

7:45 a.m. - Send Clay to wake kids up. Isabel already on her way out with her tooth box. The tooth fairy gave her a loonie.

8:00 a.m. - Eat breakfast. 

8:15 a.m. - Beg Isabel to eat more.

8:20 a.m. - Get kids dressed. Brush hair, teeth, etc.

8:25 a.m. - Finish packing school bags. Get shoes on.

8:30 a.m. - Snap first day of school photo. 

Not quite excited enough for me...let's try again.

Apparently, the phrase "big smiles" means just open your eyes wider to Isabel.

8:35 a.m. - Out the door and walk to school.

9:10 a.m. - Return home to empty house and sleeping cats. Do yoga.

9:45 a.m. - Check email.

10:00 a.m. -  Decide to go for a run and try out my new shoes as well despite the threat of rain.

10:40 a.m. - Return home to empty house and sleeping cats. Blog.

10: 55 a.m. - Shower...????

Tomorrow is the first day of school...

Isabel will be going full-time now, no more half days of Kindergarten. She's a first grader.

Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday we taught her how to sign the word "potty" so I could stop changing messy diapers. 

To make me even more emotionally unhinged, she went and lost her first tooth tonight.

She was so excited. She squealed. It was a very Isabel noise, so full of excitement. Her joy is always so infectious. I wanted to jump up and down for her.

She's all prepared for the Tooth Fairy to come.

She'll lose her next one before I know it because that's how Isabel works, from zero to sixty in less than 3 seconds. (It also helps that both of her front bottom teeth are already coming in, pushing the babies out of their way.)

I was so looking forward to school starting. So ready to have a little time to myself again. Now, I'm just hoping I make it out of the school yard without losing it.

Where does the time go?

Sigh.

It's official. This is our last week of summer. The kids start school one week from tomorrow and I have to say that I can't wait. 

I know, I know...I was the one who was super excited for school to be finished so I didn't have to wake up to an alarm for a while. Are you wondering what happened? Well, while I was submerged in my blissful fantasy of no alarms I clearly forgot that my six year old wakes up early no matter what time of year it is. School, summer, Christmas vacation - you name it - that girl gets up every single day between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. No alarm needed. It doesn't matter what time she's went to bed. She's an early riser and quite frankly I need her to go back to school so I can get some sleep.

Just kidding...kind of.

Actually, it's more that I'm just ready for Fall. I'm ready for cool weather that allows for jeans and sweaters. I'm ready for apple picking and pumpkins. I'm ready for that amazing wet earth smell that permeates the air as the leaves start to fall off the trees. That smell is good. 

Now, I know we have a few more weeks of warm weather but up here in Canada there's already a bit of chill in the night air and apple picking opens next weekend (for the early varieties). So I'm not too off my rocker. I'm even ready to start making Halloween costumes! What can I say? I love the Fall. It's my favorite time of the year and since Fall brings the beginning of school, I guess I'm ready for school as well...though I'll need this last week to truly prepare myself.

The kids were gone for the last week of July, staying with my parents in Michigan. And while they spent there time going on adventures with Grandma and Grandpa, I was doing a little home maintenance. 

Remember my kitchen?

Well, I was tired of it being all white...so I decided to paint it. Here it is after the first coat.

And here's the finished product.

I only painted the doors, to make it easier to paint back over later. We changed the hardware from yucky white plastic to a nice smooth brushed silver. And just to be clear, I did buy 6 drawer pulls, but somewhere between the orange box and home I misplaced one. It was really annoying...I'm still looking for it. 

I'm really happy with how it turned out. It breaths a little life into our tiny galley kitchen and I've been enjoying it even with the missing drawer pull. (I have yet to get back out to the big orange box)

Hi Everyone! 

I'm happy to say that Clay and I are back in K-Town after a long 10-day trip to the motherland for an academic workshop and some much needed time visiting family. The kids elected to stay with their grandparents for another week (oh darn), so now  I'm ready to catch back up on my blogging.

The summer has been good to us so far. Our first week out of school we attempted to beat the heat by hanging out with some good friends, eating ice cream, swimming and blasting each other with water guns. 

The second week brought a long car trip back to Michigan. After dropping Clay off in A2, the kids and I headed to Alma to spend time with my family. 

Hooray!

We took advantage of the nice weather and went for a long canoe ride/picnic one day. It was beautifully picturesque on the river and we saw lots of wild life.

Here's a picture of Cole at the front of the kayak we were in...notice how much work he's (not) doing. Thank goodness for my ability to just keep paddling.

Grandma made the most delicious chicken salad sandwiches I've ever tasted, but the kids opted for ham and PB&J. Go figure. We ate, the kids played on the playground and much laughing ensued. 

The paddling portion of the day ended up being a lot longer than we expected, but everyone made it back home eventually. Next time we'll have to remember to pack a tow rope.

Needless to say, all the adults were exhausted and all the kids were fine.

Isabel, for one, was quite pleased with the trip.

More adventures to come.....