The Great White North - Part 1

About a month ago, I had a moment of insanity and booked plane tickets for myself, Brooklynn & Cannon to fly up to Toronto to visit my Mom and other family and friends.  Of course the minute I hit submit to pay for the plane tickets, panic set in - what did I just do?!?!?!?  I knew in the end it would be worth it, b/c it had already been 6 months since I last saw everyone and was missing everyone like crazy.  Plus, how neat would it be for Brookie to experience her first real snow?

Well the big day happened the day after Christmas..... I barely slept the night before as I was going over everything in my head trying to figure out if I was forgetting anything.  We got to the airport with lots of time to spare since being that it was the day after Christmas you just never know how busy it would be - and any time we have flown before, the line up is pretty crazy.  Plus the whole mess with the threat of extra security measures...didn't want to end up missing the flight b/c of being stuck at security.  Well when we got to the airport and parked and got inside the terminal to check in...this is what we saw....

Seriously??????  I thought well maybe we were really early and they just hadn't opened up the counter yet....but nope....it was just completely empty so we got checked right in.  I started joking that I guess we were the only crazy people that wanted to fly up to Canada in the middle of winter - ha!

Well since we were done with that in no time....we went and checked the line up at security....and it was not bad at all.  Well I decided right away, I wasn't going to go through security yet since at that point, I would be on my own with the 2 kids....so we all (Andy, Andrew, Brookie, Cannon and me) decided to go ride the inter-terminal train around the airport to kill time and keep the kids entertained.  So that took up some time.  When we were done with that we came back upstairs to see how things were looking and nothing had changed - still completely empty - just craziness!!!  So I ended up giving Cannon his lunch since I had Andy's helping hand and then we finally decided to get moving and head out on our way.  There were maybe like 5 people ahead of us at security, so we got through really quickly - with no extra screening - just the usual metal detector...phew!  By the time we got all our stuff back together and shoes put on, we got to the gate just as they announced boarding time - perfect timing!

Got on the plane and it was pretty empty - maybe 30 people at most if that many??  So it was only 1/3 full.....perfect!!!  The flight itself went really well - perfect weather, left on time and Cannon fell asleep as soon as we took off and slept for about the first 45 mins.  The flight attendants were wonderful and so friendly - I guess since it was such a light flight, they could totally just relax and take time with the passengers.  They told us to feel free to move wherever we wanted to since there were so many empty seats, so once Cannon woke up, we moved to the very back of the plane and pretty much had the whole section to ourselves.  That way Brookie could get up to go to the restroom (since that it like her favorite pastime these days - visiting all the different restrooms she can find...lol) and I could just sit right there close by without having to go with her.  It was also nice being by ourselves so we didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone.  We were able to completely spread out and we all enjoyed our space.  The kids watched their cartoons and played with our toys for the majority of the flight :) 

The flight attendant spent a good deal of the flight back there with us just playing with the kids and hanging out with us.  Cannon was flirting with her the entire time...hahaha!

Once we landed and went through customs and got our bags - and yes we got ALL our bags this trip, Brookie was the biggest help to me.  Since you pick up your bags before you are able to meet up with the outside world, she had the very important job of pushing Cannon in his stroller while I pushed the luggage cart.  She was perfect - so thankful she is at a great age to actually help in a real life situation - b/c that place was crazy with thousands of people and she stayed right behind me and followed me just like I asked.  Such a proud moment of my big little girl :)

We got to Grandma's house a little while later and the kids were happy to be able to relax.  Well the next morning we got quite the little surprise from Cannon....this is what we woke up to....

Cannon woke up completely covered in hives!  He had a couple little red spots the day before but nothing too bad....but that completely changed Monday morning.  I felt so bad for him!  This poor kid just can't catch a break lately.  The last month to month and a half has been a rough one for him.  He got 6 teeth within a month - and actually got 4 of them at the same time!  He's had 2 double ear infections, had 2 colds and now these nasty hives - which turns out is an allergic reaction to his latest antibiotic that he just finished for the 2nd double ear infection.  I ended up taking him to the Dr on Monday up here and he basically told me what I already knew - not much we can do other than Benadryl to help him keep them under control.  Since he hasn't been running a fever and is otherwise completely normal, not much to worry about - just have to let it run its course and once the drugs have completely gotten out of his body, it should clear up.  Well yesterday he woke up and they looked worse - I felt so itchy just looking at him.  Although today they seemed to be getting (a little) better....still didn't look too great, but compared to the previous day, there is a little improvement...hopefully that means we are on the road to recovery! 

And now it seems that he is getting 2 more teeth.  He had a rough night last night - waking up every hour and crying.....my poor little man :(

Other than that, we have been enjoying our low key trip up here.  We decided not to rent a car this trip - I have no desire to drive in snow ever again...so we are using the bus to get around - Brookie is happy!  Its been cold cold cold here....but its not too bad to deal with - mainly b/c I know I only have to do it for 2 weeks and then I get to go back to warmer weather hahahaha!  We are really hoping we get some snow though - right now there is NOTHING!!!  What a shame to fly all this way in winter and not be able to let Brookie play in snow...so hopefully we will get something!  Here's a pic I took the other day on the way up to the Dr's office....this is all the snow that is around :(

So far we have only done one outing on the bus with the kids.  Its not too bad - although I don't think I could do this full time!  Especially having to bundle these 2 kids in multiple layers and jackets...Texas kids definitely aren't used to this...hahaha!

 The bus ride was only about 15-20 mins total, but both ways Cannon crashed pretty quickly after we got on...lol!  Of course he woke up the minute we got off and the cold air hit him on the face....hahahaha!

 Brookie loves riding the bus.....she kept calling it a school bus!

Anyway...thats our trip so far - we still have another week and half left - so I'll share more a little later!

And if you haven't visited my blog lately, I also did a Christmas post yesterday so be sure to check it out right below this one! :)

Christmas Festivities

It has been a whirlwind past few weeks with many Christmas events going on.  Hard to believe another Christmas is behind us!!!  We had a wonderful Christmas with family and lots of fun celebrating.  I'm just going to go ahead and show the pics of several of the things we have been up to over the last couple weeks.  Its going to be a long post but we have had A LOT of festivities over the last week!

First up was Brooklynn's class Christmas party.  I volunteered to help out in her classroom that day with the Christmas party.  I love being able to be involved with her school events - definitely one of the many factors when I decided to leave my job last year.

The next event was on the Saturday before Christmas.  We headed to the annual Christmas Party/family reunion with Andy's Grandpa's side of the family.  Its always neat to see how much the family has grown and changed over the year - especially since we don't get to see most of the extended family over the year.  This year there were 50+ people there and still growing!

The following day on Sunday, we celebrated Andy's Grandma's 80th birthday with a big celebration of her closest friends and family.  It was a really nice Open House style party filled with tons of people wishing her happy birthday wishes.

Next event on the list was the annual Progressive Dinner.  We start out at one person's house for the appetizers then head to the next house for the main course and the final house for the desserts.  Such a neat way to spend time together and get to see all the fun Christmas decorations each house has displayed.  Here's a pic of Andy and me on this evening.

 

On Friday, Christmas Eve, we headed over to Andy's Mom's house to celebrate with Andy's sisters and their families.  We alternate houses each year, and technically this year was supposed to be at our house, but since I was leaving in 2 days, Andy's Mom offered to host it for us - HUGE help!!! Thank you Cheryll :)  We had a really nice time visiting and letting the kids play together.  Unfortunately Andy's sister, Mindy's husband, Joey had to work so we missed spending the day with him too - esp Brookie - she loves her Uncle Joey - like she always tells us...."Uncle Joey is a silly guy!" hehehehe!  But luckily for her, his stand in was there ;)  Mindy brought over one of their early baby gifts they received - a Koala bear stuffed animal with a 'Baby Joey' in its pouch...so Joey was there with us that day!!

The kids got so many fun gifts - they didn't know which way to turn - it defintely looked like a toy store exploded in the living room that day!

Finally we made it to Christmas Day.  The kids woke up and got to see what Santa brought them.....funny story was that we actually had to wake up Brooklynn & Cannon to open the presents.  Andrew woke up bright and early - but he's an early bird like his Dad...and well Cannon just is too young to get it...but Brookie - she was out!  But as soon as we woke her up she was ready to go check it all out!

 The Christmas tree after Santa stopped by for a visit...

 Close up of the new stockings I had ordered this year - and personalized - love them!

 Our annual pose in front of the tree before all the chaos...its fun to look back at these each year and see how much the kids have grown & changed over the year!

 Time to dig in and see all their surprises!

 Cannon enjoyed all the paper....and even got pretty good at helping to rip his presents open....

 Of course as soon as a piece of paper got ripped off....it went straight to his mouth to eat!!! hahahahaha!

That afternoon we headed over to Andy's grandparents house for a yummy lunch and fun times with the family.  So much food was made - love this time of year! 

 Woohoo!!! Actually got a really nice family shot - not an easy task these days!!  Thanks Missy :)

Each year the kids open gifts from family and the adults get to play some new fun game in a gift card exchange. This year we definitely had many many laughs! There were many games that were played - and they ranged from things like putting vaseline on your nose and trying to get a pom pom ball to stick by throwing it in the air or trying to get a cookie to move from your forehead into your mouth without using your hands or tying a kleenex box to your back and having several jingle bells in there and having to wiggle/dance/shake the bells out and other crazy things like that!  Luckily Andy & I both ended up drawing some things that weren't quite so embarrassing...hehehehe!

 

 I drew a game that required me to unwrap a toilet paper roll in a minute....um yeah - I can so handle that one!!! Lol - Brookie was my inspiration - can't tell you how much toilet paper she wasted when she was younger...lol!  Needless to say - I didn't have any problems beating that minute deadline...hahahahaha!

 Andy drew a game that required him to arrange 8 bags in order from least to greatest - each bag contained anywhere from 1-8 jingle bells and he had to get them in order just by shaking the bag and listening to how much noise it made - ie. 1 bell, 2 bells, 3 bells, etc all the way to 8 bells....and he did it perfectly!

We had a great (and busy) Christmas holiday this year - got tired just re-reading through this post! 

Stay tuned for my next post in the next day or so about my trip up to Toronto on my own with Brooklynn & Cannon....never a dull moment!!!

9 Months

Today our sweet Cannon is 9 months old.....where did the time go?  He has been in our arms for longer than he was in my tummy.  Well technically he passed that mark a couple weeks ago since he surprised us with his early arrival 3 weeks early.  Its hard to believe that in 3 short months, he will be 1.  It just does not seem possible that we are already dealing with an active littly guy who loves to get into everything!  He is definitely keeping us on our toes - never a dull moment when he is awake.  From the minute he wakes up to the minute he lays down, he is always on the move.  This last month has been so much fun - but by the end of the day I am worn out from keeping him out of trouble.  Its also been a rough month with teething and ear infections and a couple different cold bugs - no fun at all!  But for the most part, he is just his happy, smiley self and we love it.

Here is what Cannon is up to these days at 9 months old:

•Weighs 21.6 lbs according to our bathroom scale - I'll have the official numbers on Thursday when he goes for his 9 month check up and shots

•Wears size 3 diapers

•Wearing mostly 9 months and 12 months size clothing and some 12-18 month also

•Drinks 7 ozs in each bottle - 4 times a day

•Has turned into a great eater - loves his food!  Has fruit with cereal for breakfast, fruit for lunch and veggie for dinner.  Started feeding him so table food - mashed potatos, carrots, peas, etc - loves them all!

•Loves to sit and play for as long as we let him - he hasn't quite figured out how to get out of a sitting position to laying down, but he can rotate completely around while sitting

•Loves to practice standing and holding onto things - can't pull himself up yet on his own, but once I help him up - he will stand there forever.

•Getting so close to crawling - he has been getting up on his hands & knees the last several days and starts rocking back and forth before laying back down...

•Even though he isn't doing the official crawl - he is definitely getting around by doing the army crawl on his tummy - and he is FAST!  Its hilarious b/c when he is after something and sees me coming to stop him, he will go even faster while turning around to see where Im at...he's going to be a handful in a few short months!

•He has been a teething mess this last month - officially I have seen 2 bottom teeth, top left tooth, right fang on top and possibly left fang on top as well - haven't confirmed that one yet.  He's definitely letting us know that he isn't a fan of teething - poor guy.

•He has cold #2 right now.  He also had his first ear infection - actually a double ear infection this past month as well.  All that mixed in with teething was not a good combo - I was definitely missing my happy little guy!

•Still a GREAT sleeper - goes 12 hours straight each night.  Of course since he has been feeling a little under the weather with teething and being sick, he has been waking up a few times during the night, but 99% of the time he only fusses for a couple of minutes before going back to sleep before we even have to go in there.  He also has gone back to fussing for about 5-10 mins when we put him down for both his naps and bedtime...but he normally falls asleep on his own without us having to go back in there.

•Shortly after the 8 month post, I went ahead and stopped swaddling him at night and switched to the sleep sack - it definitely went better than expected and he is now a pro.  The first night was the hardest - he woke up quite a bit that night and I just would go in there and pat his back and he would fall back to sleep.  Night 2 was definitely better - didn't wake up nearly as much and I only went in there half as many times.  By night 3 - we were home free and he went back to his sleeping habits that we were used to - yay!

•Takes 2 naps a day - one longer one about 2-2.5 hours and the other around an hour

•Anything he can get his hands on will go straight into his mouth - loves to chew on anything and everything

•Loves the exersaucer.  I put the jumperoo away and brought out Brookie's old exersaucer (its very pink & purple - ha!).  He is loving that thing - so much more to do in it - of course he still tries to jump in it like the jumperoo....but obviously its not quite the same!

•He is getting into everything - he loves any kind of wire or cord, getting into the fireplace, pulling on the Christmas tree, pushing buttons on the DVD player & cable box, pulling down my pointsetta plants, pulling my Christmas train decoration, etc - its never ending and wears me out!  Oh and if we are ever looking for some small spec of something on the floor - he will definitely find it - he finds everything and goes straight to his mouth!

•Loves to hear himself squeal and scream - definitely learning from his big sister with the squealing!

•Loves getting kisses and being tickled - will make him squeal and giggle.

•Babbles constantly - always sounds like is trying so hard to say something - saying Ba-Ba, Ma-Ma, etc.

And now to the pics - he is such a ham - always looking for something to get into.  I managed a few shots at first without noticing his sign above his head...but of  course once he saw it - it was all over..hahahaha!

Love this pic - it shows his two bottom teeth...so cute!!!

And he finally realized his sign was above him...hahahaha!

Next best thing to chew on - the blanket!

Such a big boy!