Christmas 2009 Photos and January Birthday

Here is a new photo set of our holidays as well as January birthdays, plus a few other tidbits like broken wrists and Heroscape tournaments. See all of the pictures here.

Hockey Double Header - GOAL!

Galen had two hockey games this weekend. Sunday's game was a 6-3 win, with Galen getting two assists. Tonight was a 6-4 loss, but Galen got two assists and a goal! He is so glad to be back playing hockey.

Stories out of school

A couple of very funny stories from one of Ray's teachers...

Story #1:

Teacher: "Ray, will you be visiting Ronald McDonald House again this year after your birthday party?"
Ray: "This year, I am giving some food to some hungry people"
Teacher: "well, Ray - that is a most fabulous idea"
Ray (looking at her good friend Nicole): "Bring kosher food, OK? because that's what I am allergic to so I don't need it"

Story #2:...

ray: "I am now 5!"
Teacher: "I heard that it's your birthday and you are all grown up now... will you be getting your own apartment now?"
Ray: "noooooooooooooooooooo?!?!? wait... does Bram (her teacher's son and friend) have his own apartment?"

Who needs small maps?

The kids are loving the birthday present Raynham got from her grandparents - a huge puzzle map. It now holds the proud place of honour in her bedroom - the entire floor.

Raynham is 5!

Today my baby is 5! 5 freaking years old! It is amazing. She woke up bright and early (what else is new), smiling and happy.

Ray, at 630 am, with a huge smile: "Happy birthday to me! Good morning Momma!"

She was patient in waiting until 7 am (that seems almost painful to write because what person WANTS to be awake before 7 am??). She opened her cards and presents from Galen and Mom&Dad. She loved them and immediately started to work on decorating her tiaras (Galen's gift) while waiting for Mom and Dad to get some coffee and breakfast going.

Dad: "Raynham, what would you like for breakfast?"
Ray: "Bacon and pancakes and waffles and sausages (saw-cer-ges)!"
Dad: "Ahhhh. Well I don't have those things. How about toast or cereal?"
Ray: "But its my birthday and I should get to eat what I want! I don't want toast. I want BACON!"
Dad: "That's why we had your party on Sunday, remember?"
Ray: "But that wasn't breakfast food. That was dinner. And I didn't like that food anyways so it doesn't count."

Today she gets a party (with chips!) at Temple and a party at JK (with cupcakes!). Saturday, the girls descend. Traditionally, the kids do not get presents at their birthday party with their friends, but collect toys for a charity. Raynham has decided she doesn't like this.

Ray:"Mom, it makes me very sad that I don't get presents at my party"
Mom: "But Raynham, how many presents do you get from your family?"
Ray: "A lot but all my friends get presents from their friends at birthday parties. It makes me sad to look at the presents they bring but aren't for me"
Mom: "Do you understand why we don't ask for presents at your party?"
Ray: "I don't need more presents. But it still makes me sad."
Mom: "What do you want to do about it?"
Ray: Long pause... "Can I ask for food for hungry people instead? Food won't make me sad like toys do."

Easy solution from a 4 year old. Happy birthday, my princess.

Galen can return to Hockey

Galen had his orthopaedics appointment today and the conclusion is that he had minor damage to the growth plate in his wrist plus lots of soft tissue damage. Today he got the all-clear to return to sports with the use of a wrist brace for one month. Otherwise, by Monday he can stop wearing the brace and start his one month of physiotherapy. Good thing the boy is patient.

Not a break

Following up on: An unexpected "break" from hockey

Galen appears to have soft tissue damage only and a squished growth plate. He is wearing a brace for two more weeks and then will have another check-up. Looks like he'll be back in good shape after that. Whew!

An unexpected "break" from hockey

We won't know the final decision until Galen sees the orthopaedics specialist in a week, but he is out of hockey for now. Galen had a fall during a recreational skate during the holidays, spraining his left wrist. We kept him out of hockey while he recovered and he was ready to return to the game tonight. But he played some street hockey after school and came inside complaining of renewed pain. But this time it was very specific in location and an x-ray at the hospital suggests a compression fracture in his wrist. A very minor break but there are concerns about it healing well. Depending upon what the specialist finds next week, he could be in a cast or splint for two to six weeks. Remarkably, when offered a treat for his first break, he asked for jello. The boy needs to set his sights higher.

Who else would send live animals??

Every year, one of my favorite things to do is hunt for great presents for my nieces. Maia and Leah are particularly fun to buy for because they are older than Ray and I can see where she is going to be in one or six years. Plus, they are super smart, super cool girls who I get to buy the kind of presents I would love, were I only much younger. Ray is such a girly-girly girl and the barbie section just doesn't excite me (rather the opposite). Thankfully, Anna and Steve are VERY patient with my gifts. Why? cause I have sent live animals, not once but twice now.

It started when I saw this super cool ant farm. It had this crazy gel stuff and the ants came by mail and were to live happily building tunnels you could see. I knew Leah would LOVE it. So, using my all-powerful aunt status, I bought it and sent it.

When I was in New Orleans, it happened again. I saw the Frog-O-shere and totally wanted one and knew that Maia needed one too. It comes with a bamboo plant, cool coloured gravel, food and 2 african dwarf frogs. Can it get better??? (OK, I am a biologist) It was so cool that my grad students and I kept gravitating back to the same store to look at them. I was a bit worried about the live animal thing. They have pets - a dog, beta fish, and the ants of course. Luckily, Anna said yes and the gift arrived today, well in advance of Christmas. With the ants, you got the box with all the equipment and sent for the ants. I was expecting this again or maybe some fertilized eggs that were dormant. Nope. Live frogs arrived. Phone calls were made. Yes, please open it, if it says live frogs then they won't last in a plastic bag for a week.

So lucky girl got an early Christmas present and she loves them. She called to thank me and corrected me on whether they could have shipped the frog eggs without water (ah to be young and know everything....). Strangely, when the box, appropriately labelled "Live Frogs" arrived, Maia wondered "who sent this?". But really, who else would send live animals?

Social challenges for girls

Raynham loves her JK program at Temple Playhouse, particularly as her closest friends are there. However, sharing of friends is a challenge for 4 and 5 year olds. Hence yesterday's conversation after school:

Raynham: I had problems with my friends today.

Dad: What happened?

Raynham: I was playing with one friend when the other wanted to play with me and they both got upset. I don't like being in the middle.

Dad: Yeah, that is difficult. How did you handle it?

Raynham: I told them I couldn't cut myself in two so they each could have half.

Dad: You certainly can't.

Raynham: Yea, all my guts would spill out.

Weekend fun with Mom

Saturday was a super busy day. Both Ray and G were on the ice for hockey practice. Ray had a playdate with one of her best buddies. Cookie making was on the agenda. Two 4 year olds, cookie cutters and lots of decorations makes a lot of fun but also a lot of mess. I have NO photos of the event as Drew was at the rink with G the whole time (funny how he changed his mind last minute: "We might as well just stay here and watch the other kids skate"...). By the time he came home I had both the roomba vacuum and hand vac out! There were a LOT of sprinkles on the floor, but even MORE on the cookies!!!

After lunch, we headed to Hamilton Place for the Nutcracker Suite Ballet. G has gone to see this before, but never with a national ballet; Ray has never been before. Here is the difference between the two kids.

1. They are bought nutcracker christmas ornaments. Galen breaks his in the first 2 seconds (I love crazy glue) but Ray manages until 4 pm the next day until hers breaks. Galen breaks the gun, Ray pulls off the beard.

2. Galen is close to silent through the entire thing, then talks constantly about it afterwards. Ray has an endless play-by-play through the first act, falls asleep in the second and then cries when she wakes up because she "missed the fairies". I had to promise her there were NO fairies on after she fell asleep.

Luckily, both want to go again next year. Ray PROMISES she won't sleep at the end.

Of course, yesterday, the excitement was my friend Krista visiting (the kids love her) and the tree falling over. We've rescued the tree and are hoping for a quieter week......

Goal!

Last week's game was a lot of fun to watch, with Galen taking three shots and getting one assist. The final was a 6-3 victory. Today's game was even better, with Galen getting one shot and a GOAL! First of the season! The final score was a 4-3 victory, with two other of Galen's teammates getting their first goal ever. Can't wait for tomorrow night's game.

Raynham's hockey school continues to go well, with all the kids doing the basics of getting up, skating forward, and now snowplow stopping. Raynham is working on driving her mother crazy, but when she isn't she is skating very well. Yet, she continues to insist that this is the last year of hockey for her - next year should be figure skating. Little does she know how hard that is.

Kiddie quotes for Christmas

The kids are VERY excited that Christmas is coming. Here are few great moments...

Ray, seeing the president of my university at the kids Christmas party:
"Look! Its Santa! Why is he wearing that black suit?"

Galen, first thing in the morning:
Dec 1: "Mom! wake up! Its only 24 days until Christmas!"
Dec 2: "Mom! Wake up! Its only 23 days until Christmas!"
Dec 3: "Mom! Did you know its only 22 days until Christmas!"
....
Dec 7: "Mom! Its only 16 DAYS until Christmas! I'm so excited!!!" Me too G.

Ray, after getting in trouble: "I don't think I've been a very good girl this year. What if Santa brings me NOTHING?"

Ray, after the tree was decorated: "Can we open a present?" Not until Christmas, I replied. "But we already had one from your Christmas party, so why not another?"

Galen, discussing the potential that Santa isn't real: "A girl in my class says that Santa isn't real. She says its really your parents buying all that stuff. She says the easter bunny is your parents too but I don't think so. You don't make chocolate eggs, Mom. It would be crazy that parents would pretend to be a bunny and hide junk food around the house! What parent would DO that? It makes no sense. I think she'll be lucky to get anything from Santa this year"

Galen, on his gingerbread ambitions: "Everyone makes a house. I don't want to make a house this year, I want to make a gingerbread hockey rink! Complete with a rink, hockey players and a score board! And my team will be winning! Mom - that means we need.......just 12 hockey players in gingerbread. That's not so much, is it?"

Green Walls

Literary mash-up

Raynham has been studying Shakespeare at school, with her favourite so far being Midsummer's Night Dream. Literature is quickly becoming her thing. However, my latest read might not work for her. I'm reading Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. This literary mash-up combines Jane Austen's classic with the standards of great sea monster stories. The cover shows a lady of Regency England gazing lovingly at a tentacled hero. Conversation ensues...

Raynham: What is with your book?

Dad: I'm reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

Raynham: Why does that man have a squid face? And why is that lady in love with him?

Dad: I don't know, I haven't gotten to that part of the book yet.

(pause)

Raynham: Is she blind?