Happy New Year. 2011 was an interesting year, to say the least. Here's to 2012!! Happy New Year from our humble home to yours, cheers!

Tooth number two

Avery is breaking the bank this month, tooth number two has been successfully pulled out of her little mouth. Her adult tooth was growing right behind that tiny tooth and pushing it out. However, that stubborn root would not let go. Her tooth was turning black, it had to come out. Her brave (not) mommy tried to twist and pull that tooth out all day (as I was trying not to gag, who knew that my own child's wiggly tooth would freak me out). Finally, her paramedic Daddy came home and got the job done. I still maintain that I loosened it for her Dad, just saying. Anyhoo, her tooth count is now at 2, and she just told me that another one feels loose. This girl is going to have some serious cash to spend. Maybe she can lend it back to Mom, because it's looking like this girl is going to need some braces. Unless, her teeth magically go straight once all the adult ones come in??? Please tell me that is how it works, because it isn't looking good right now. Guess we'll find out when we see the dentist next month!

Avery made us a gift at school, it was a snowman ornament. She could not wait for us to open her gift!! I thought the Reindeer wrapping was the best.

Opening her Santa gift, which was barking before she even touched it. She could not believe that Santa could make her gift, so she didn't think she would really get her toy dog. That Santa is one crafty dude!

This is the train station Blair made for Brennyn.

Finally have a minute to post some pics.

Brennyn's Christmas concert.

Nothing like a cup of hot chocolate on Christmas morning!

Santa stockings, so much fun.

I am one lucky mama, so thankful for my family!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone from our house to yours!

Christmas concert time

Both girls have their Christmas concerts at school today. Brennyn's is this morning and Avery's is the repeat preformance in the afternoon. I guess most parent's don't have to see the exact same show twice, but again, most parent's don't have one child in jk (morning class) and one in Sk (afternoon class). I can't wait to see both shows, I love watching little ones sing and dance! Hopefully I will actually post some pictures on here soon.

Cookie time

The girls and I baked some fancy gingerbread people yesterday.
Don't know if I have mentioned this before, but Avery has a love for a certain Cake Boss on television (I guess I really need to cut out my reality tv watching). She looooves Buddy and his fancy, smancy cakes.

As soon as she saw me putting icing into a piping bag (okay, so it was just a zip lock bag because I don't often ice cookies or cakes) her face lit up and she took over the icing job.

Avery spent an hour icing cookies and wanted me to bake more when we ran out of cookies to ice! The girl is a natural!
Brennyn was on decoration duty, although I suspect more sprinkles found their way into her mouth than on the cookies.

Does anyone ever enter contests and think "Do people actually win these things"?
My husband is forever entering draws on his favourite sports radio station and he has won a few soccer tickets.
This time he won something great, and I ate some crow. Yes, I may have ribbed him about spending so much time on that sports website and entering all these crazy contests but no more! He won a $1000.00 gift card to Home Depot which is even better because we are finally finishing our basement (we've only been living in this house for 9 years now, figured it was about time).

Now I'm off to enter a million contests!!

Cookie time

We finally had some time to bake the girl's favourite cookies, Paintbrush cookies.
Taking pictures was a little more challenging! Suddenly, having your picture taken is "not cool mom". I'm fairly certain that my child is a teenager stuck in a 5 year old's body, just saying. At least it's still cool to bake cookies with Mom!

The pictures I find

Someone "borrowed" Mommy's camera again.

Avery's birth family is interested in doing a video chat during Chinese New Year (when Avery's cousin will be home to translate for us).
The only problem is that we haven't totally explained the whole situation to Avery. I have told her that we are in contact with her birth cousin, and one birth sister but she really does not understand the concept.

My husband is very reluctant to do the video chat. He thinks it will be too confusing for Avery. I, on the other hand, would like to go ahead with this. I do not want to be a parent who keeps secrets from her child. This is her family, not mine. I want her to grow up knowing them, in hopes that they just become part of her life, like an extended family member. Of course, I don't know if she will want this in the future, but I hope it will just seem natural to her eventually.

It's hard to explain, I respect my husband's wishes but I do disagree. Does this mean that I'm right, I wish I knew the answer. I wish I knew what the right choice was.

I know, you can almost hear the crickets chirp. My computer time is very limited these days, the laundry is a mountain, I think the beds are made, I could go on and on. Nothing like working retail in December, what can I say!

Speaking of work, the girls were so very excited to visit me at the store today. Brennyn came running up, yelling "mommy, we came to see you at work". It would have been even more special if she didn't display the exact same level of excitment when she saw her teacher at the mall 5 minutes later! One thing about Brennyn, she is always so happy to see people she knows. She makes everyone feel very special and loved.

In other news, the tooth fairy paid a visit to our house a few nights ago. I'm not so sure that Avery is buying the whole tooth fairy thing, but as long as she's getting some money under her pillow, she'll be playing along!