we had a time.

a few weeks ago aydan and me attended the brownies mother/daughter sleepover and to quote angela chase "we had a time."

such a blast.
love these moments with my girl.

first day of school this year.

this year friday was the first day of school. {strange i know - had something to do with needing a certain number of days of school or some business.}

this year we are embarking on a new year with a grade one-er and a grade three-er. go eagles go!

this year is going to be the first year of a real hard-nosed mama and papa when it comes to homework and learning french. no if, and's or but's!

this year, for coop, is his first year at his OWN desk and to take care of his OWN things.

this year started with confidence. last year started with a little nervousness for one little boy and possibly some tears for one grown mama.

this year is going to be fun.

this year is going to be trying.

this year is going to be memorable.



this year, i was the one you could hear cheering as she exited the parking lot.
for reals.

;)

beam me up scotty: the christmas edition.

so christmas comes but once a year.....
and with that comes seeing santa, getting a tree, villages to visit, lights to see, parties to attend and, of course, christmas concerts to perform in and observe.
and when the stars align just so all these activities are taken care of in careful succession and all is good.
last wednesday the stars and planets did not align and i wished we were in the future so i could be in two places at once, full undivided attention concentrating on the stage and performer before me.
yep - no such luck.

i was supposed to be in two places...AT THE SAME TIME!

Aydan had her irish dance concert and cooper had his christmas concert on the same night.
REALLY??!

so this is how it went....thankfully aydan's performance started at 6:15 and cooper's didn't start until 7pm. but this meant i was going to miss aydan's second dance - and it also meant that tony didn't get to see it at all, he had to get coop to the school by 6:30. bummer. thankfully though she was in the second group to perform. so....

we saw her first.....

then my mom and me jumped into her car and made it to the school in record time {we beat one mom who was in the same boat as us!} then we sat and got to watch coop perform in all his glory! he was so cute - his first time in something like this.

there was a catch though...he never left the stage!! they were not doing it like last year - parade on class after class....they were going to perform the whole time! by now aydan's performance had ended and even though there were treats and coffee afterwards i had to get back there. so....we had to leave coop's early and jump back in the car and race back to irish dancing where we found her hopped up on sweets and goofing around. perfect.

no it didn't all turn out how I would have wanted but they were both excellent and now all commitments are done.
now we can just enjoy the rest of the season with no pressure at all...at least not until the 24th that is.

oh boy......

over the weekend.

you know when you have a weekend where you are thinking up things to do just to fill the time? or relishing in the fact that there is nothing to do?
last weekend was not such a beast.

ours was packed.

and the cool factor? it was packed with some firsts. i love those.

the first first was aydan's first sleepover.
with the brownies.
at the clubhouse...how cool is that?
she rocked it.

it didn't start till 6pm so the anticipation built and built all day till she was absolutely bursting!!
in honour of the sleepover we made cupcakes to take for all the girls - there were 11 girls and 3 "owls" {leaders.}
since the mascot for brownies is the owl it was only fitting that we made owl cupcakes.

so cute right?
and they were super easy....here's the steps:

first make a batch of this chocolate cake. instead of cake pans use cupcake tins. this should yeild 24 - i got 22 but some of mine were too big. line your tin with liners and fill 1/2 to 3/4 full. bake at 350 for about 20 mins. top should feel springy and since ovens vary please use your judgement - bake for an extra minute at a time till you are satisfied. let cool completely - very important!!! your icing will melt off!

now for the owls - the eyes are oreo halves with m&m's! make some buttercream icing {tint your favorite colour or leave white for snowy owls....since the brownie uniform is blue and brown we did blue owls} or chocolate ganache. set aside. now divide your oreos and m&m's. you will need one orange m&m {or smartie} for the beak per cupcake and two brown or coloured per cupcake for the eyes. also you will need 2 x cream halves of an oreo per cupcake. i have found that canadian oreos and american oreos are different...?? i know.....and mine were tough to come apart cleanly. american oreos are softer centers. if you find yourself in this predicament...although my stomach didn't mind as it got all the duds...place a row of oreo's from the tray into the microwave for about 15 seconds then twist and separate. warming them a bit helps.
now ice your cupcake, grab two oreo halves - place on top, place two eye candies on cream filling as close to the center as possible and push an orange candy in sideways for the beak! done!

i saw these somewhere on the internet at one time - can't remember where - and i just winged it. 
i think they turned out rather well.

while these cupcakes were baking another first was going on...copper went to his first playdate at someone's home...by himself! no sister, no me, no tony, no someone he has known for a long time.
it was to one of his best friend's from school and he had a blast! no nervousness, no shyness. he just jumped right in and had the best time. so proud of him!!! and happy for his as well. hppy he has taken this step.

now on to the third first of the weekend.....cooper had his first kfc! i know i know...we shouldn't eat the stuff and as you can tell we haven't had it for 6 years {probably longer}. it was okay...not like either of us remember it to be though. and i think that was our last. we didn't feel so good afterwards. we have found a doctor oz recipe cheating to be kfc and we liked that better. i'll pass that on to you guys as well.

so after kfc, three rounds of volcano island countdown {our new favorite family game} and no call from the clubhouse, we were ready to hunker down for the night.

tony went and got aydan at 10 on sunday and she came home just bustling with excitement and tales to tell.

sunday also marked the day that we put up our outside christmas decorations. i know maybe a little early but with the schedule over the next couple of weeks this is the time that presented itself. i wanted to get you a picture of it all lit up at night but yeah that didn't happen..another time i hope! nice to have it all ready and done....and tony was happy that we got rid of the cornstalks and pumpkins! ha!

in my books, this weekend was a success.

:)

all worth it.

i found this in aydan's school bag.
THIS has made all the homework worth it.

my cheeks hurt from smiling.
so proud.

grade two.

here we go.
today is the day.
today is the day my big girl goes to grade two.
GRADE TWO!!!

where has it all gone?
she has gotten so big right in front of us and i feel like i have missed it.
it's going by way too fast.
i know everyone says that, and of course i never wanted to say that myself, but it's so true!! 
that made me kind of sad this morning.
that made me kind of cry on my way home from the bus stop.
but it has also made me think back to the last seven years i have had with this amazing little person.
and that made me grin the biggest grin ever.
her spirit.
her light.
her enthusiasim for life and it's adventures.
it's absolutely naturally beautiful and extremely contagious.
someone once said, upon watching her open her birthday presents and reacting so excited for each and every one - no matter how small or simple, that she was the best person to give a present to.
i loved hearing that.
she appreciates everything and everyone.
no matter what.
that's what i love about her.
her heart.

i hope you have a great year sweetheart!!
:)

next week the little man goes to kindergarten....i am going to be a mess then.
promise.

the party.

making that all important wish....

opening the present from her little brother...snorkeling!!

last weekend was party weekend.
a special someone turned 7. {seven!!! when did that happen?!}
she decided to invite all the girls in the class {+ a couple from the next door class} over for a tea party.
it started as a mad hatter's tea party but in the end just became a good old fashioned tea party.
we all got dressed up and clinked tea cups and toasted {yes we had REAL tea cups!}
all the girls at the same time held up their cups and sang out "remember...pinkies out!"
this year i decided to keep the menu short - fruit, cake + tea - and concentrate on creating the mood for the girls. i think it worked out pretty great. {and now i have party bunting forever! yeah!}

the weather cooperated and the real heat arrived on sunday {and has continued through this week! insert brow wipe here.}.
the water balloon game and jumping through the sprinkler were a big hit!
and when the first little girly asked me "what do we do now?" - ding dong - the first parent arrived.
perfect timing. perfect everything.

great party.
great group of kids.
happy happy birthday day. xoxo

{i can now rest till july 18th.....right here....}