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Another first

When babies are little, their ‘firsts’ come quickly.  First smiles, first laughs, first solids, first roll overs, first stands, first steps, first words…But after the first couple of years, they slow down.  They still do things for the first time now and then, but it’s rarely monumental.

On Saturday Jaia experienced a first at almost 3 years old.  A big one.  We went to the movies together.  We had never gone to a Stars and Strollers when she was wee or attempted to sit through a whole movie when she was a little older and squirmy.

So last week, after the new Disney movie The Princess and The Frog opened, I decided it was time.  Or I actually decided in the summer when I heard about the movie but waited (im)patiently for months for it to open.

And it was AWESOME.  I probably enjoyed the experience more than she did – and not only because I love Disney movies, but because of the look on her face as the lights went down and the movie started to play.

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And the popcorn was a big hit too.  Obviously.

As for the movie – it gets two thumbs up from me.  It was funny and quirky and had just the right amount of princess, but not too much that you want to gag.  I also loved the old school feel of real animation vs. the Pixar style they’ve been focusing on for the last few years.  It was cute.  I’d watch it again – or 500 hundred times once my daughter owns it in a few months.

December 16, 2009 - 12:06 pm

Auntie Jenny - oh my… that picture made my heart melt!

December 17, 2009 - 2:09 am

Lisa D - Wish I could have been there too! Sounds like a great way to spend a few hours. Hi’s and big hugs to Jaia from Auntie Lisa and Baby Pearl.
Love you all
miss you more
xooxoxxo

I. Heart. Christmastime.

My love for the holidays began, like most of us, when I was a little kid.  We lived down the street from my Nanny and Pappy and from what I remember, spent a great deal of time at their house.  And what a house it was at Christmastime!  My grandparents took pride in decorating for the holidays.  Everything looked pristine, beautiful and wonderfully festive.  And Christmas carols were always playing.  Old Blue Eyes and Nat King Cole are the ones that I remember most.  My pappy knew every word and was always singing along.

More than the feast for the eyes for me was the feeling of pure magic around the holidays in that house.  Pappy always gathered the kids around and told stories that made us believe with all of our hearts that the angel on the top of the tree did fly down and tap dance on the table or that a jolly old fat guy, dressed in red, would squeeze himself down the chimney and leave presents for us under the tree.

Christmas for me is more than gift buying and giving.  It’s about the feeling that comes with it.  And this year, just as I started to wonder where my spirit was, I was flooded with it on December 1st, out of nowhere.  The Advent house that I had coveted for years and finally splurged on was pulled out of the box and filled with goodies for my excited 2-year old.  The look in her eyes at the thought of Santa already being here, just for her, reminded me of the look I used to have as I sat crossed-legged on the floor with my cousins listening to Pappy’s stories.

And that’s what Christmas is about and should be about.  Magic.  Belief in something that makes you happy.  Time spent with family, friends and loved ones.  It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

December 8, 2009 - 2:21 pm

Sonja - I too try to keep up the magic of Christmas and still put out milk and cookies for Santa even though there are no kids in the house. I wouldn’t want risk not doing it and end up with zilch under the tree.

Baby bumps

We have news!  We’re expecting number 2!   I’m 17 weeks along and enjoying a fantastic pregnancy.  We’ll get a chance to learn if it’s a boy or a girl in the next couple of weeks and are excited to find out.  I’m sure it’s no surprise, but Dan thinks girl and I think boy…again.  Maybe my intuition is right this time.

Jaia is going to be a big sister – and a fantastic one at that.  We let her choose the in utero name this time and she came up with ‘Frank the Baby’.  So we went with it.  And she’s already making plans to help dress Frank the Baby and bathe Frank the Baby and change Frank the Baby’s diapers.  An in-house helper.  Perfect.

We’ll keep you posted with updates and news.  Check back soon!

December 6, 2009 - 11:46 am

Ellen Martin - Fantastic news! My Best to you all!

December 6, 2009 - 2:51 pm

Heather - Awesome!!! Congrats!!! I thought that this might be what was going on 😀

December 7, 2009 - 1:35 pm

Dan - How can you think it’s a boy? Jaia and I both know it’s a girl. A girl named Frank 😀

December 7, 2009 - 2:17 pm

Shannen - I was wrong once. It won’t happen again. 😉

And I guess I should add that we WILL NOT be naming this child Frank. Sorry to all the Franks out there. No offence.

December 7, 2009 - 4:05 pm

Auntie Jenny - Frank is kind of growing on me. Frankie? Frankie Fullerton? Kind of cute isn’t it?

December 8, 2009 - 6:36 am

rachel - Congrats!!! Although I am sorry we don’t get to be due date buddies once again :o( Although if I’m veeeeeeeeery late and you’re veeeeeeeery early…

December 8, 2009 - 2:19 pm

Sonja - I too think it may be a boy. If I’m wrong and it turns out to be a girl you could call her Frances or Francesca and keep using Frankie for short.

December 8, 2009 - 3:51 pm

Melissa - I’m over the moon for you guys! Can’t wait to meet Frank or Francesca.

December 8, 2009 - 6:59 pm

Kris - I think….boy. Team Shannen!

Either way, I can’t WAIT for further updates on this exciting development in one of my very favorite households. 🙂

Taking Shape

The kitchen is taking shape.  We can see what it will become one day.  Not so far away.  We finished grout on Saturday, dove into cabinet making Sunday to allow the templater for the countertop to visit Monday.  Phew!

Priorities for this week are plumbing to get the dishwasher going again, and figuring out how the rest of the thousand Ikea bits go together using only individual part instructions (there’s no “master plan”).

December 1, 2009 - 5:20 pm

Sonja - Did you get the Ikea automatic or soft drawer closures? We have them in our island and they are awesome. The rest of our cabinets don’t have them because they are older and the difference is huge – the drawers don’t slide at all. I highly recommend the gadgets.

December 2, 2009 - 9:05 am

Dan - I don’t think we had a choice … the default is “soft close”. We don’t have any drawers or doors on yet though, so TBD 🙂

December 2, 2009 - 12:46 pm

Vinnie - MAN you guys are on a roll….

Latest Reno update…

For those of you who are coming to stay with us over Christmas, we may have some bad news…We will likely not have any countertops.

The good news, mostly for us, is that Dan finished the tiles yesterday!  They look so great.  Better than great!

Dan amazes me on a regular basis.  It seems there’s nothing he can’t do.  He took on the kitchen reno project and without any hesitation or  experience and has since re-plumbed, laid all the tiles perfectly, and will begin the cabinets tonight.  I’m proud as can be.  😉

I tried to take a picture of the tiles last night to celebrate, but the lighting does not do these beauties justice.  We chose a grey-brown 24″ X 12″ tile that makes our kitchen look miles bigger than it used to.  All we have to do now is pick the grout colour. Anyone who knows me knows that I am very non-committal when it comes to colour.  It’ll probably be 2012 before I choose the ‘right’ paint colour for the new kitchen, and the grout won’t be any easier.  Unfortunately, I have to choose by about 3 pm today.  Better get my thinking cap on.

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November 23, 2009 - 1:01 pm

Vinnie - I’m LOVING it…and yes…I’m stalking forgetful at work…what can I say, it’s a little slow today…

November 23, 2009 - 2:30 pm

Dan - I’m no hero, anyone can do it. You just need to commit to it. After you break that first tile there’s no turning back 🙂

On a related note, my back is killing me – massage required.

PS the third tile from the left is crooked. Don’t tell anyone.

November 30, 2009 - 4:16 pm

jason - balls used the exact same tiles as you to do his kitchen