Preschool graduation

Eli graduated from his first year of preschool yesterday. He enjoyed school and not once complained about going.  we are fortunate to have such a wonderful preschool within walking distance of our house. I can't believe how much he's grown over the past 9 months.

What we've been up to

What we've been up to the last few months:
1. The biggie : I returned to work full time.  I was feeling ready for a while and I think I've found a place that is as family friendly as one can get in my field.  I'm really enjoying it, and yes, that includes waking up early in the morning.  It's amazing how different my perspective on working is compared to when I was working pre-kids.  I really do see it as time for myself.  For now, full time is good, but I would like to eventually work towards more part-time once the kids are in school.  I know that sounds backwards doesn't it?  However, right now Eli and Hana are spending the days with their Grandma Nancy and I know they are being loved and in excellent hands.   Brent and I alternate Friday's off which is working out great.

2. Renovations:  We've taken on a few minor renovation projects.  What we liked about our house is that nothing needed to be done immediately but there is definitely room to improve the house and make it more of our own.  Brent took down the old back splash and put in a much more modern one and I did the grouting.  What a pain that was.  All those little tiles meant for a lot of elbow grease when cleaning off the grout.  I like how it turned out though. 

3. Fence:  We added a little fence to the back deck to keep Paul off the grass and direct him into the dog run in the mornings.  So far, it's working like a charm.

4. Birthdays:  We have been busy with birthdays.  Mine was on Mother's Day and I truly got spoiled including a surprise spa booking.  Burdine and Brian even took both kids for the night (first time they were both gone overnight) which was a huge treat for us.  Brent's birthday was yesterday and we went to the new pizza joint down the street - Famoso.  It totally lived up to all the hype we had heard about it.  We'll be going there often for sure (and they serve wine, even better).   Eli's birthday is Monday and we are gearing up for the Ultimate Star Wars party next week.  Good thing we have a little break until Hana's birthday in the Fall.

We are looking forward to Summer and have some family time booked off.  A few trips to Banff planned, and some camping along with spending time with friends and family.  Sounds about perfect :)

Cake Pops

I made my first ever Cake Pops for a bake sale for Eli's preschool this weekend.  They turned out very cute and making these were right up my alley.  I even have a little secret.  I researched making cake pops and the process looked rather time consuming so instead I used Timbits inside!  Voila, instant round circles that I know taste great already.  I'll totally be making these again in the future.

Happy 1.5 years

Not the greatest photo, but it's the only one from today.  Hana is 1.5 today!  We've had a rough week. Actually, rough doesn't even begin to describe it.  She's been sick, she's getting teeth and she's been really really moody and grumpy.  But, it looks like we've come out of the rough patch and she's back to her normal happy self. Phew! I was slightly worried that she hit the terrible two's 6 months early, but I think it was just the factors above.

She's such a little person now.  She knows how to let you know what she wants.  She demands certain things and she's pretty tough to argue with.  She's so funny and makes us laugh on a daily basis.  She belts out the biggest "Bye!" anytime a dog walks by, and before bed.  At 18 months she says Hi, Bye, Paul, Mum, Dada, Eli, Baba (banana), Hat, House, No!, Uh Oh, Bubble and Done.  She also combines 2 words to into one word and says "HiEli", "GoodGirl", "NoWay", "HereYouGo" and "GoAway".  It seems she has a new word almost every day.  Very different from her brother who learned his animal sounds first.  She could care less what a cow says, and is very good at telling Eli when to "GoAway". ha!  She is very much a helper and loves to pick up her toys and help clean up.  I'm looking forward to see what the next 6 months bring.  Happy 1.5 baby girl!

Buddies

These two are becoming such good buddies.  Hana adores her big brother and wants to do everything that he does. She follows him, sits with him, eats where he eats.  He is such a great big brother and is very patient with her.  He even lets her hit him on the head without much complaining.  Sometimes he gets frustrated when she doesn't do what he asks (like follow up downstairs) but overall he's pretty awesome with her.  She tries to copy the words that he says and can already say his hame. It's pretty fun to see their relationship grow - especially since Eli ignored her for at least the first 6 months of her life!

Hockey night

Brent and his Dad took the kids to an Okotoks Oilers game. They made it all the way to the 3rd period. I would consider that pretty successful!

Singing

This video cracks me up.  He wanted to sing Beauty and the Beast, but doesn't know the words.  He goes into a little bit of jibberish at the end.  My favorite part is the ending. ha! Perhaps we will skip the singing lessons....it might be a lost cause.