Let it snow...

Putting Julian to bed tonight:

Me:  "Merry Christmas Julian."

Julian:  "Mommy, what is your present for Christmas?"

Me:  "I don't want anything, I already have the best presents of all, you and Nora."

Julian:  "Mommy!  I am NOT a present!"

Me:  "Okay, what do you think I should get for a present?"

Julian:  "Maybe a.... shovel?"

Me:  "Nice."

Julian:  "Or... a watering can?"

Have a beautiful Christmas.

jbxo

Progress.

I have realized that taste for the "good things" comes as a progression:

Wine.

Step 1.  cheap champagne/sparkling (a la Baby Duck or Spumante Bambino)

Step 2.  sweet white

Step 3.  dry white

Step 4.  red

Coffee.

Step 1.  Frappuccino

Step 2.  Cappuccino

Step 3.  Latte

Step 4.  Espresso (still not quite there...)

Boys.

Step 1.  The bad boy.

Step 2.  The really super nice guy (who you will inevitably treat terribly, because he is far too nice to you).

Step 3.  The guy who treats you well, but makes you think.  He loves apples.  Marry this one.

jbxo

Say What?

Tonight when I got home Andrew told me that Nora had been sitting beside him playing with his Blackberry.  She was tapping away on the keys when he looked down and saw the following on the screen:

assol

From the fingers of babes...

jbxo

That's how I roll...

A few weeks ago I went to mom & dad's farm for a visit with Julian & Nora.  We were only staying one night, so I only needed one bag with all of our stuff.  I packed our requirements (only the necessities, of course).  I put the bag by the door.  As I went to pick up the bag and deliver it to the car I couldn't help but laugh... and take a photo.

jbxo

99 bottles of...

99 Posts.

Each time I sign in I see the number.  Surely, I can come up with something FANTABULOUS for my 100th post.  It'll be GREAT.  I'll write about, hmmmmm...  Let me think about it for a minute.

I have a couple of silly things that have occurred over the past few days, but are they 100th post-worthy?  I'm not so sure.  Ah, let's see.

Julian and Nora have been sick (again).  We made a trip to the doctor yesterday, and then to the drugstore to pick up some medication for them.  There was a 20 minute wait.  A 20 minute wait with a sick 1 and 3 year old is like a 3 hour wait for an adult on their own.  I placed (forced) Nora in the shopping cart, and Julian walked (kept running away) with us.  We went down each aisle twice.  I spent $58.16 on numerous items which I did not need, including a bag of organic cookies which Julian & Nora insisted I open, and they proceeded to eat (drop) half of the bag in the store.  I then decided to bide the rest of our time waiting in the "waiting area" beside the pharmacy.  This was a bad idea.  There was a wall of various, brightly coloured brochures.  Julian was perusing them.  He picked out a few.  I wasn't paying much attention.  I was too busy picking up dropped/mushed cookies from the floor.  He brought a brochure over to me.  "Mommy, this is for you."  The cover read:  "Women's Sexual Health".  Great.  Okay Julian, let's start walking again.  Down another aisle.  Lots of people.  Julian lagging behind us.  Suddenly I hear:  "Wait!  WAIT!  Mommy, YOU NEED THIS!".  He runs towards me.  Everyone in the aisle turns towards him.  Clenched in his little hand is a bottle of KY lubricant.  I think it was shaped like a penis.  

Happy 100th Blog!

jbxo

Oh, it was my pleasure...

My Sista, Julian, Nora and I went to our mom & dad's farm this weekend for a visit.  We had a great time.  Their satellite TV was not working, and that turned out to be a good thing as we spent the evening looking through old photo albums while enjoying a lovely bottle of wine.  We discovered a sweet little keepsake book that mom had put together when my brother was a baby.  I was reading through the flower delivery cards mom had received in the hospital.  They were of the usual just-had-a-baby variety:  "Congratulations!"  "Lot's of love..."  "It's a boy!" etc.  Until I came across the one from my dad.  It's so sweet that he had flowers delivered to her, and I couldn't help picture him ordering them over the phone (young, excited... slightly nervous):

Dad:  "Uh, yah... hi.  I would like to order some flowers."

Flower Lady:  "Wonderful sir, I will make out the card for you, what would you like it to say?"

(Keep in mind I can hear my dad blush when I say "I love you" over the phone... there is usually a long pause on the other end of the line, then he says:  "Um, yah... same here, bye.")

Dad:  "Um... Thanks for... the son."

Flower Lady:  "And, who shall I sign it from?"

Dad:  "Johnny."

Awww... love you daddy.

jbxo

I am... NOT.

Driving home tonight:

Me:  "Nora, are you a good girl?"

Nora:  "Yes."

Me:  "Are you a funny girl?"

Nora:  "Yes."

Me:  "Are you a silly girl?"

Nora:  "Yes."

Me:  "Are you a pretty girl?"

Nora:  "Yes."

Me:  "Are you a smart girl?"

Nora:  "NO!"

And she looked at me with complete and utter disgust.

jbxo

I love her.

Andrew has brought Julian ice skating every week for the past three weeks, bless him.

Julian HATES it.

Julian:  "Ice is slippery.  I don't like skating, mommy."

Last weekend was a debacle, or so I hear.  I was "busy" around the house with Nora.  To be honest, I am not one for skating, or arenas in general.  I would much rather be at home, doing... "stuff".

Nanny and Pop were there to witness the debacle last weekend, from all accounts Julian was paralyzed with fear.  He had a big fall the weekend before, and had not gotten over it.  He would not move.  Well, until the lady in the yellow coat came along.  She had a daughter of her own.  She saw Julian crying and she came to the rescue.  She inspired him to skate.  I have to be honest, Nanny sent me photos, but I didn't think much of the entire situation.  Until later this week.  I was driving Julian to his first eye exam.  Out of nowhere he said:

"Mommy, I don't like skating."

Me:  "No?"

Julian:  "No mommy, ice is slippery."

Me:  "Oh."

Julian:  "The lady in the yellow coat help me mommy."

Me:  "I know, she was nice."

Julian:  "I want a mommy just like her."

Me:  "Julian!  You already have a mommy."

Julian:  "I love her, mommy."

Me:  "Really, what about your own mommy?"

Julian:  "I love you too mommy.  I love two ladies."

My heart sank.

My stomach ached.

My son loves TWO ladies.

I guess I'll be going to the arena from now on.

jbxo

It's all about me.

Today is my birthday.

I LOVE birthdays.

Usually I force everyone around me to celebrate "me" for the entire month of October.

Not this year.  I felt I was maturing.  I wanted to keep my birthday low-key.

I booked Friday and Monday off of work.  My plan was to run all sorts of errands on Friday, and maybe sneak in a mani-pedi if I had a spare hour.  Saturday mom was due to arrive, Andrew and I would be able to go out for a lovely dinner.  Sunday we would take Julian and Nora to a pumkin patch, and Monday would be "mom & me day".  We would shop from morning until night.  Nothing crazy.  No huge parties.  No drunken debacles.  Oh yes, I have matured...

Wednesday night my throat started to hurt.

Thursday struggled through work with a fever.

Friday Nora was sent home at noon with a fever.

Saturday, Sunday today... Nora and I sick, sick, sick.

Not quite the birthday weekend I had planned.  However, there were some nice little treats along the way.

On Friday I received the sweetest apple card from Tania in Belgium via snail mail.  She really is a little sweetheart.

Last night Andrew surprised me with some of my favourite wine and gifts from him and the children (including a card Julian selected that says:  "For a cool boy, a birthday race car VROOM VROOM!").

This morning Nanny arrived with lots of new jammies.

Today mom still came to visit for a few days, and she is cooking me my favourite meal for dinner (Sista is joining us as well, always a treat!).

Nora has wanted nothing more than for me to hold her for three days in a row.

Happy birthday to me!

jbxo

P.S.  Today I look nothing like this photo.  But it's my birthday - so I am allowed to use a photo from a time when my nose was not running profusely.

A rose by any other name...

Nora can say everyone's names, or at least make recognizable attempts at them:

"Mommy"

"Daddy"

"Ju-Ju" (Julian)

"Voviver" (Oliver)

"Mama" (Grandma)

"Pappa"

"Nanny"

"Pop"

"Ti-Ti" (Auntie Shari)

"Jenny"

"Kee" (Auntie Kari)

"In" (Uncle Ian)

"Benny"

"Rad" (Uncle Brad)

"Isa" (Auntie Lisa)

"Rordan" (Jordan)

"Bajco" (Jacob)

Up until now, she would not even attempt to say her own name.  It was actually becoming very frustrating.  You could go through the list of names above, and she would repeat every single one of them, then you would say:  "Nora"  silence...

That was until last night.  I was rhyming off the usual list, and I got to Nora... her response?

"Zsa Zsa"

Well, at least her Hungarian Poppa will be happy.

jbxo

Thank you to my dear friend Tara from Seven Spoons who surprised me by aging this photo.