I know, we are 9 days already into the new year and I am just now wishing you a happy new year. But really, when you think and realize that there are still 357 days left for 2016, 9 days is still 'new'. If we were talking of a 9 day old baby, you'd still say s/he is a newborn. So I say the same with 2016.
So,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Have any goals? Any commitments? A word to keep you focused all year? Plans? Aspirations? Hopes? Desires? Fears?
I don't do resolutions, yet we introduced them to Lincoln. This was him almost 4 years ago....
....and this is him the first day of the New Year:
Can you tell what his new year's resolution is? It is said that only 8% of people stick to their New Year's resolution. So far, Lincoln is in that group. It has been over a week since he has started to wear band-aids on his fingers to help him to stop sucking them, and he has done incredibly well. So well in fact that the other day I forgot to put one on and he didn't suck them all day!!! That's unreal! Fingers in his mouth were his trademark! But believe me, we are enjoying the lack of saliva everywhere now. We do take the band-aids off at night, so he still sucks them then, but we are just tackling the day time habit.
Before I continue on though, let me give you a glimpse as to what has kept us busy the month of December...so here goes a photo dump:
Lots of gift-opening, first with Opa and Oma Helder
Keziah had "dress like your mom/dad" day at school:
At the local nursery there were some animals: sheep, llamas, ponies and a camel, which we were allowed to feed
Keziah would have nothing to do with feeding the animals, and stayed faaaaar away from the camel (can you see her below?!)
She rode a pony though:
If he is not puzzling, he is enjoying Lego:
I heard lots of giggling in the other room so I snuck in and took this picture. I love these moments.
Keziah also had pajama day at school!
Keziah is really starting to print and sound out words. She is very phonetic, meaning, she will read and print how it sounds (this means sight words can be disastrous if they don't phonetically make sense, like "my") . So for instance, she has already told us that we spell her name wrong and should be spelt this way: Kezeea. She may have a point......
I found this on the counter the other day.....how special is that?!
December was pretty warm overall, which meant we could keep on BBQ'ing. It getting dark early did make it difficult but nothing a flashlight couldn't fix!
Puzzles, puzzles, puzzles. While he still loves his cars, puzzles have ranked pretty high lately too
All decked out for her Christmas program with her school!
More gift-opening
Teaching Lincoln how to work a remote control car.....Nathan loves it that he has a boy! Good thing his wife knew his love for remote control anything, so she surprised him with a remote control helicopter :o)
Lincoln's first face he has drawn - we are working on his fine motor skills!
Lots of baking was done.....and eaten :o)
I found myself on the adult colouring bandwagon....and I love it!!
No snow for us in December, but lots of mud!!
While his fine motor skills are somewhat lacking, his intelligence isn't. He knows most of his letters and numbers (and no, I do not sit and work with him on this....he is just quick to pick things up). Although he can't make numbers and letters with a pencil, he is able to find other ways: Look mom! I made an "8"!
That helicopter I got Nathan? Yeah, it's what he chases the kids with to get them into bed sooner :o)
Boterkoek faces for my nieces and nephews.....a December tradition
Nathan had some time off around Christmas, so we made sure to visit his dear Oma
Christmas Day was spent the same way on Thanksgiving Day - around a campfire, roasting marshmellows!!
The gorgeous full moon on Christmas Day over the lake by my parents' cottage
Just before New Year's Eve, we spent 3 days in Ottawa (for a reason I will write about on another blog post). We arrived in Ottawa without a speck of snow anywhere. That night it started and didn't stop til the next afternoon, leaving Ottawa covered in a foot of the white stuff!!
The kids had fun in the hotel, especially swimming in the very chlorinated pool, and then going with Nathan to the Children's Museum.
I may or may not have set off the fire alarm at the hotel.....good thing I had some helpers to "shoo" the smoke away!
And that was December! We celebrated Lincoln's birthday in Ottawa as well, but that'll be next time....I think this is the most photos I have ever put on one blog post. I sure hope you don't have dial-up for internet.......
