Happy Birthday Scott! Yesterday we celebrated Scott's birthday with cake and presents in the morning, then a trip to our favorite Chinese food restaurant for supper (followed by more cake, of course). We Love You Daddy! 

Conor is getting so big! Tonight he finally began to try balancing himself in a seated position and he did pretty good! Still no crawling and he doesn't roll much anymore but it won't be long. He doesn't like to lay on his back for long anymore so the Excersaucer and the Jolly Jumper are very popular. He's 17 1/2 pounds now and growing fast.

Jesson is busy as usual and getting excited for Santa to come tomorrow. This was one of the rare moments I caught him sitting still. The cat looks thrilled, doesn't he? 

Well, it's decorated again for another year. Last week we let Jesson pick out our tree from the local vendor. He did a great job! It spent a night or two opening up and then we were ready to decorate. Jesson set to work right away putting several decorations on the same limb once we showed him how the hooks worked. He even got to put on the star! The Santa hats were fun too, Jesson's still wearing his again today. It looks really pretty all lit up at night, we did a good job I think. 

Jesson likes to interact with Conor a lot more now. He constantly asks me to "put him on a pillow" so he can play with him. He likes to try feeding Conor but he gets a little rammy. It's great that Jesson wants to be with Conor now. He's a big help with his little brother and we love him to bits! 

My little Elf! He's a joy to have around because he's always smiling! He looks like an elf, I've decided, with his sticky-out ears, his funny shapes head, his chubby pink cheeks, and his constant grin. He loves to be sitting si he can see what's going on. This bath ring stuck to the counter helps, it sticks to the top of the dryer too! He goes with me everywhere. Scott thinks he's a spoiled Mommy suck, I just think he's a people person and loves to be with everybody. Either way we love him to pieces! 

Happy Retirement Grandpa!

This is the best shot I have of Grandpa with all the kids (sorry about the blinking Grampa). We got together on the weekend of December 3rd to kick off Dad's retirement and a good time was had by all. Unfortunately Cari's step-daughter Kelsey couldn't make it but we'll see her at Christmas I hope. Jesson had a blast with his cousins and we had a dry run of sleeping arrangements with all the new babies. It was a lot of fun and we're really looking forward to Christmas with everyone present. Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa for having us!

Hannah was a great role model for Jesson over the weekend. It was her affection toward Sydney that sparked Jesson's interest in his baby. Unfortunately he's become overly possessive of his little brother a couple of times and has been repremanded for shoving a toddler who just wanted to look at his baby. We're working on his aggression but it's nice to see him take an interest in Conor. 

All the babies had bath together to conserve water and they had a blast. Sydney had never had company in her tub before, never mind company with stems attached, and she seemed to notice the difference too! She's just too cute and chubby! The boys enjoyed bathing with someone new too. Luckily Sydney's too pudgy for Jesson to notice her stem missing and start asking questions. 

What a Surprise! Thanks Honey!

Today seemed the same as any other with endless diaper changes, toy pick-up, and household chores. The kids were a little difficult today with Jesson starting ANOTHER cold, and Conor struggling with teething. Our morning was spent out for a "sanity walk" as Conor sleeps in the stroller and he wouldn't at home today. The afternoon was naps as usual and even Mom got one too. It was the evening that took a turn for the best! Once I had supper in the oven, the littlest one was content, and Jesson had a snack and juice, I headed to the basement for a shower...finally. When I came upstairs I was greeted in the dining room by my teary-eyed husband, 6 carnations, a bottle of our favorite red, our wedding processional song, and a card that left me bawling. You see today is the 6 year anniversary of the day Scott proposed to me. It was about the same time of day too. I was so surprised that all I could do was cry. Jesson came into the room as I was reading the beautiful card Scott had written. He looked at me as I was reading and noticed me crying, he thought for a minute, then looked at the floor and he started bawling too, followed shortly by Conor who didn't want to be left out. Once we'd all wiped our faces it was time for a toast. Scott poured us wine and I headed to the kitchen to get Jesson a glass too. Scott asked Jesson if he'd like to make a toast and his answer was "Umm, yes please, with butter!". We toasted to 6 eventful years and many more to come then ate a candlelight dinner of a different sort. Demanding table manners from our toddler, scraping pablum off of our infant, and giggling about how our family dynamic has changed in just 6 short years. We can hardly wait to see what the coming years will bring us. I Love You Babe!

Congratulations Grandpa!

Today was Dad's come-and-go tea celebrating his retirement from 18 years of service as Chief of Police in Luseland. Many people attended to wish him well and sample the delicious goodies. The Town of Luseland presented him with a fancy rod, reel, and case to start off his retirement with a little relaxation. Congratulations and Thank You Dad. We're proud of all of the excellent work you've done as Chief. XOXO

Our Boys! Jesson's favourite thing to do lately is to have his picture taken with Conor. He poses almost hourly it seems and asks us to take a picture. They may make good friends after all? Jesson has tried to pick Conor up, he's "helped" change his diaper even volunteering to do a REALLY nasty one "all by myself", he shows Conor toys, and asks to hold him every now and then. He regularly sets pillows on the floor and asks me to put him down there so he can play. It's going to be an interesting year until Conor gets mobile and begins to assert himself. We can hardly believe how different two baby boys from the same parents can be. They are opposite in almost every aspect of their personalities. I guess that's what makes life interesting. 

Conor is learning new things by the minute. Over the last few days he started to chew on toys, he constantly rolls to his back every time you put him on his tummy, prefers to sit up instead of lay down, reaches both hands out to grasp and hold the block that hangs from the toy bar on his bouncy chair, has started to cut his first two teeth, and loves to yell his stories instead of coo. I'm not sure what he weighs now, I'll find out next week. We visited the Urologist on Monday and he said Conor's kidney condition is probably an Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction (partial obstruction of the drainage system of the kidney), it's not serious right now and we'll see him again around the one year mark for a repeat ultrasound unless he develops any infections before that time. We were glad to hear he wouldn't be going in for surgery right away anyway. He hasn't shown any signs of discomfort lately and he's developing at a steady rate. He's a Mommy suck, a BIG Mommy suck! That's Ok though because he's that last baby and somebody has to be interested in spending time with Mommy, right? We're very proud of how he's developing, he's a very happy baby.

Jesson is BUSY! These pics show him caught red-handed sneaking candy from a high cupboard he isn't supposed to be able to reach, having a requested close-up taken, and playing in a heap of box inards we created while cleaning out the furnace room. He has become quite a character, you just never know what's going to fly out of his mouth next. Today he had a hair cut and received a roll of "Rockets" Halloween candies from his hairdresser as a treat for sitting still. He had a few and I tucked the rest in his jacket pocket for later and he ate the rest when we got home. When he woke up from his nap, he went to the kitchen and checked the pocket of his jacket again, asking Daddy where his candies had gone. I came into the room and explained to him that he had eaten them already, they were gone. He walked out of the room with his head hanging and said sadly "worst day of my life!" This is a line from a book he reads before bed sometimes but we haven't read this book in a while. That statement had both Scott and I laughing once again, we just never know what's coming next! 

Conor has graduated to using the Excersaucer now. His first time in it he wasn't sure what to do but he's getting the hang of it slowly. On the floor he has started "scooting" accross the floor by pushing with his legs and sliding on the back of his head. He moved about 2 feet last night! His favourite time to try this is when he's having his pants changed, he "scoots" right out of his diaper and off the change pad. We're fairly certain that he'll walk/flee fairly early to get away from Jesson. He enjoys telling stories, loves his blankie, and he's a huge Mommy suck. 

He's getting used to the excersaucer now and has managed to jump a couple of times. He likes being able to see around the room, he's just too big! 

Needless to say there were some jealousy issues to work out. Jesson thought Conor had been given a "new" toy and he didn't get one so once Conor was out he had to try it too. 

Jesson thought...if one hat is good, two must be better. While he played music on a walkman he found we used a toque to keep his ear buds in and he figured he'd add to his stylish look with one of Daddy's fishing hats. 

Welcome Winter! It's probably not here to stay yet but that didn't stop Jesson from getting excited when he woke up Tuesday morning. As soon as he looked out his bedroom window his first comment was "Hey look, there's snow!" followed by "Can I eat it?". So while still in his jammies he sat at the table with his bowl of snow happier than a pig in...well you know. After a real breakfast I bundled the boys up to head outside and test out our snowman making skills. Jesson LOVED the snow, Conor slept through most of the fun in his stroller. Jesson helped rolling the balls for the snowman's body and poked the arms in himself. Daddy returned from his fire call just in time to see all the fun we had. After shovelling everything and throwing a few snowballs at eachother we headed in for lunch. Conor got enough fresh air that he kept right on sleeping for another hour after we came in. Scott and Jesson are out there again now and having a blast. 

Happy Halloween to All of You from The Cow, Frog, Giraffe, and Streaker. We had a blast tonight. Jesson went like mad from house to house yelling "Trick or Treat" often before people had their door open. Once we got home he ate some candies as fast as Daddy could unwrap them. After several hours of bouncing off the walls, and a warm bath, he crashed really hard with his favorite new toy (a rubber lizard from G & G McNally) still in his hand. Conor was more or less along for the ride and slept in the stroller for most of the trip. We hope you all had as much fun as we did.
Today also marks Scott's last day of work until next May as he's able to take Parental leave so why not use it? He's looking forward to spending tonnes of time with the boys and not having to make any more business trips away from home for a while. We plan to make quite a few changes to the house in the coming months to prepare it for sale in the spring and having him home will make this MUCH easier to accomplish.
Take Care!

Happy 33rd Anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary to my parents Lin & Gary Nicholetts. They are embarking on an exciting year as my Dad will soon retire and my parents will be together under one roof again after several years apart. Congratulations Mom & Dad. We Love You!!

Here's a picture of my boys watching the ball game. After bath time things sometimes slow down a bit and this evening was one of those rare ones when I had a chance to snap this picture and clear the supper dishes before the kids were asleep. 

It won't be a whole lot longer and I'll be able to let the boys play together. For now Jesson is WAY too rough. He thinks Conor is as tough as he is and the jealousy over the attention that breastfeeding brings is evident. Just today Jesson knocked Conor in the head with his foot while he was laying on the floor. He was sent to his room for that one, bawling the whole way like he'd been spanked or something. For now we'll just continue to keep a close eye on them both. 

Conor is three months old today and growing like a weed. He's almost always smiley now, even in the middle of the night. His head control is getting better every day, he loves sucking on his hands and his blankets, and his bath is a big hit. He's 15 lb. 11 oz. and 25 1/2 inches long. He's in the 95th percentile for a 3 month old baby as his brother was at this age. I get a kick out of how intently he watches Jesson, I only hope he doesn't pick up on EVERYTHING Jesson does. We take the trip to Saskatoon on the 21st of next month to see the pediatric urologist to determine whether Conor's kidney blockage still exists and if so what we should do about it. Wish us Luck!

Jesson is just about as busy as kids get! Lately he has dropped the afternoon nap which led to an increase in my caffeine intake. He's been struggling with colds and ear infections for weeks now and is on his fourth course of meds to try to fix his ears. The doc has referred us to an E.N.T. in the city and we hope he won't have to have tubes put in. He weighs about 32 pounds, is around 3 feet tall at last measurement, and thinks he's bullet-proof and that he defies gravity. He's a handful but we love him!

Fall has arrived and deposited the usual heap of leaves from the neighbors tree in our back yard. Jesson didn't seem to mind them at all. We're looking forward to Halloween and then snow - in that order, hopefully.