April 4 - Easter Exictement

Aidan is starting to get pretty excited about Easter.  We've been getting a lot of questions about the Easter Bunny and Jesus.  We have never taken him to church yet, but he's definitely showing a curiousity in religious topics, so that may be something for us to consider doing soon.

He is very concerned about it raining on Easter because he doesn't want the Easter Bunny to get his feet wet.  He's got the whole hunt thing planned out and is giving Al and I rules to follow, which essentially lead to us giving him anything we find.  We have decided that we will leave the Bunny all of his plastic eggs from last year that he likes to play with.  I told him that if he leaves the empty ones, they will get filled again.  He liked the idea and saves me having to buy more and even better, saves me from having even more of the damn things lying around until next year!

April 3 - Big Brain

Today, I told Aidan he had a very good memory.  His reponse:  "I know, it's because I have such a big brain".  Confident much?  :-)

April 2 - School Pictures

Aidan recently had some vintage costume pictures taken at his school.  They turned out really cute!

April 1 - Great Weekend

Our Great Wolf Lodge weekend was great!  This was the weekend I had planned for last December, but had to reschedule because I was sick.  It was much busier than our last visit, since this time was a weekend, and we had a major Aidan melt-down Saturday at dinner, but other than that it was a really great time.  Aidan was a little under 1/2" too short for the 42" cutoff for the next level of slides, but he still had a great time on the kiddie slides and the big Wooly Mammoth family side (which last time scared the crap out of him), so I think he'll be more than ready for the next step up when we go back again.  He really loved the wave pool and would laugh his butt off every time one hit him.  He's already asking if we can go back again.  I think I may plan our next visit for December and be there to see Christmas theme stuff, which had been my intention last year anyway. 

March 30 - Surprise!

This morning we surprised Aidan with the news that we are going to Great Wolf Lodge this weekend.  He was so happy!  I can't wait!

March 29 - Passports

Today, I went into the Passport office and applied for my very first passport.  We're planning a summer vacation to the States, so we all had to get one.  I got myself all worked up over the details of the application and I was worried that I'd be in line for hours, based on what others had told me.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to get to the office and find no line at all and I had all 3 applications processed in about 5 minutes!  Now, I wait for them to be sent.  She said we should have them by mid April.

March 28 - My Parents Birthday Weekend

I've been offline for a few days and out of town visiting family.  To celebrate both my Mom and Dad's 80th birthdays, our entire family got together  on Sunday for a brunch.  It was so great that all of us (siblings, spouses and all kids) were able to be there.  I can't remember the last time we all got together, it seems we're always missing one or two.  I think this may be the first time since Aidan was born.  My brother took "official" photos.  I haven't seen them yet, but hoping he gets them sent out soon.

We also got a chance to visit my Mother-in-Law and Aidan was able to discover fishing.  Al dug out some of his old rods and took Aidan over to the river.  It was freezing and they had no baits or hooks, but he still had a blast.  I think we're going to give him the chance to do some real fishing this summer.

March 22 - Stubborn Much?

I think that all kids are stubborn by nature, it's all part of how they learn.  But when you couple that with a predisposition to stubborness, thanks to parents, it's something to see!

I have been trying to warn Aidan that that freakishly warm weather we've been having the past few days is not normal at all, nowhere near normal really, and that by the weekend it will be cold again.  Today was the start of the downard temps.  It was still nice, like mid teens, but not exactly shorts and eat outside weather.  Aidan disagreed and insisted it was nice enough to wear his shorts and eat supper on the deck.  So, I set up the table outside, we sit down to our meal and 2 bites into it, I hear "I'm cold".  So, back we go into the house and re-set up on the kitchen table.  It is soooo hard not to say "I told you so" in those moments, but lesson taught none the less. 

March 21 - Popcorn for Supper

I had a late lunch today and wasn't hungry for supper.  I fed Aidan some leftovers and after he went to bed, I made myself a big bowl of popcorn.  Yep, sometimes I'm lazy like that.

March 20 - Hello Summer

This year will undoubtedly go down as one of the weirdest weather wise and we're still only in March!

We ate on the deck and played outside tonight like it was the middle of July.  Craziness, which I know won't last and will make for lots of cranky people when normal weather comes back, but I'm still enjoying it while it's here.

March 19 - Traffic Cop in the Making

This mornings conversation on the drive into school went something like this...

Aidan:  "I think you're going faster than the sign say you can go".
Silence
Aidan:  "Well, are you"?
Me:  "No"
Aidan:  "Are you sure"?

Truth be told, I was going about 100 in an 80 zone.  I suppose I should count myself lucky that he didn't slap me with a $150 fine and a couple demerits.

March 18 - Passport Time

For the first time in my life, I'm applying for my Canadian Passort.  Because I only ever travelled to the US, I never needed one.  But, post 9/11 now requires that I do have one for that trip, so it's time.  We are planning our summer vacation to Lake George, so not a lot of choice.  That means all 3 of us need them.  So today we got our passport pictures.  I thought it may be tough for Aidan to sit with a straight face and stay still, but he did great!

So the pics are done, now to get the applications all filled out and signed and submitted.

March 17 - New Marina

We found a new home for our boat this summer.  Since Ontario Place is essentially closing down this year, we decided it was time to make a move.  Truth is, we haven't been thrilled with the OP Marina for a couple of years now, but have stayed because of the perks of being inside the park.  With the park closed, there is really nothing worthwhile for us there. 

We found a nice marina on Holland River that is a little over an hour drive away, but it's a country drive and not one into the city, so that's a big plus.  We'll have a covered slip and able to park right at our boat with enough shore space for a picnic table and BBQ.  There's a swimming pool and playground for Aidan there too.  I'm very excited!

March 16 - What to Wear?

The unseaonsably warm weather we're  having is driving me nuts.  It's still close to freezing at night, but getting upper teens during the day.  I feel like I need a suitcase to lug the 3 seasons worth of outdoor clothes for Aidan to school. 

March 15 - Dashers

Aidan has decided that he no longer wants to call his shoes running shoes, they have now been dubbed "dashers".  Why?  He says it's because they are so fast!

March 14 - 100 Book Challenge

Today, Aidan started his 100 book challenge.  It was inspired by one that they did at his school and he was enjoying it so much, he wanted to do one at home.  The general idea is you read 100 books together and at the end, you get a "prize".  Aidan loves to read, so I don't expect it will take that long to get through 100 books.  I decided to make it slightly more challenging by saying it has to be 100 different books and not his usual routine of reading the same book over and over again for many days. 

So, I did up a chart and we started the challenge tonight.  We are undecided on the prize.  He said he wants a popsicle party, since that's what they are doing at school.  I may just go with that and maybe let him buy a few new books too.

We'll see how long it takes to finish.  I'm predicting 2 - 3 weeks.

March 13 - Aidan Funny Quote of the Day

"When I'm bigger, I want to dye my hair the same colour as Daddy's.  Half black and half grey".

March 12 - Flies!

The warm weather is here and so are the flies!  Cluster flies, millions and millions of them.  OK, maybe a few hundred, but tons!  They drive us crazy and last year they lasted pretty much through the Spring.  I bought a couple of fly traps today, so we'll see if they help at all.

After school, Aidan decided he wanted to help sweep up some of the dead ones off the floor. He went around with the dustpan and handbrush and had a great time helping out.  He told me that he wants to get them all cleaned up so that I don't have to do it and I can have a rest.  He can be very sweet!  Unfortunately, I think the novelty will probably wear off before the flies are all gone, but I'll enjoy the help while it lasts.

March 11 - Final Ski Lesson of the Season

Last week was Aidan and my last parent & tot class, so I signed him up for a private lesson today to give him a chance to practice what he's learned 1-on-1 with an instructor.

He did very well.  He got tired about halfway through and the instructor said he was looking for me a bit, but other than that, he did well.  He's turning well now and was linking 3 or 4 turns together on the bottom half of the hill with no assistance.

I'm very pleased with how he did with his first year of lessons and I'm really looking forward to how he does next year.

March 10 - Clocks Ahead Tonight

The time change doesn't hit until 2am, but I'm already feeling bitter about the hour of sleep I'm about to lose.

March 9 - Freak Snow Storm

The crazy winter weather continues and we went from spring like temperatures earlier in the week to some crazy snow squalls today.  When I left in the morning to drop Aidan at school, the sun was trying to come out and there was not a hint of snow on the ground.  About a half hour later I got back home and this is what it was looking like...

March 8 - Play Structure Disaster

I can't believe it, but the wind has been so bad here lately that it actually blew Aidan's play structure over.  That big beautiful and extremely heavy thing got completely blown over.  Luckily, the damage done looks minimal and contained mostly to the roof section.  Alan is going to have a hell of a time figuring out how to put it upright again.  And poor Aidan, he's so upset that it happened, but seems to be okay with knowing that it can be fixed.

March 7 - Alarm Clock Fail

Well, that was short lived.  This morning, the alarm clock didn't help at all.  In fact, it was one of those epic fail of a morning where all you want is to go back to bed and try starting all over again. 

March 6 - Alarm Clock Success

Well, it worked!  Aidan got right out of bed and turned the alarm clock off and started his day.  He still called me before he would get up, but at least I didn't have to give him the 5 or 10 minutes to get moving.

March 5 - Alarm Clock

Aidan has decided that he would rather have an alarm clock wake him up then me.  He thinks I'm too annoying.  Wait until that sucker of a clock beeps in his ear in the morning.  Then we'll see what's more annoying.

March 4 - Ski Lesson #8

Aidan and I had our last parent & tot ski lesson for the year. It was an awesome outing!  He had more excitement and energy than any of the other weeks and he just wanted to go go go.  He was doing a little obstacle course, with the help of my on the other end of the hula hoop.  It was 4 turns around the mushroom markers and then 4 bended poles to ski under.  He nailed it time after time.  We also took him to the top of the "mountain" instead of halfway up and he thought that was awesome.  I couldn't get him to quit today, we kept skiing for another half hour or so after the lesson was finished.


I went ahead and signed him up for a private lesson next weekend so he can solidy what he has learned with some 1-on-1 teaching time.


I'm beyond thrilled that he's doing so well!

March 3 - The Lorax

We went to see The Lorax in the theatre today.  It was crazy busy, but totally worth it.  I really enjoyed it and Aidan loved it!  He's on such a Dr. Seuss kick right now, so the timing was perfect.

March 2 - Salmon

Aidan borrowed a book on salmon from the library 2 days ago.  I'm pretty sure I've read it 274 times already.  If you have any questions on the life cycle of a salmon, I'm your gal.

March 1 - Happy Birthday, Dad!

My dad turned 80 years old today.  He's so young at heart, it's hard to believe he's already at that milestone.
Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

February 29 - Leap Day!

Aidan has a classmate who was born on Feb 29th.  He told me "technically she's 4, but she had her 1st birthday today". 

And while I'm on about cute/fun things he says, instead of saying he can't see a thing, he says "I can't see such a thing".  He said it driving home in the fog.  "I can't see such a thing outside because of the fog'.

February 28 - That memory again

Aidan quite regularly impresses me with his memory.  Tonight while he was getting into the tub he says:  "Do you remember a really really long time ago, when I was 2 years old, I fell trying to get into the tub"?  Well I hadn't remembered it myself, but did once he mentioned it and he's right he was either 2 or maybe just 3 when it happened.  By the way, he was fine and I was there with him when it happened, which is probably why I find it even more surprising that he'd remember something like that. 

February 27 - Crazy Race Night

I'm not that big of a Nascar fan, but I love watching racing, so I almost always at least watch the circly cars in the Daytona 500, if no other race.  Craziest thing I've ever seen in a race (and I've watched my share), was Juan Pablo Montaya hitting the Jet Dryer during a caution.  It was epic!

February 26 - Ski Lesson #7

Our 2nd last ski lesson was today and Aidan is skiing down the hill on his own.  Stopping is still optinal for him and he even ran right off the side of the hill, which didn't seem to phase him.  When he fell, he excitedly said  "that was soooo coool"!!

February 25 - New phone addiction

I've had my new cell phone for about  a week now and I'm totally hooked!  How did I live this long without Angry Birds and Words With Friends???

February 24 - Aidan's 4 year check-up

Aidan had his 4 year well visit at the doctor today and we got our official numbers... 35.8lbs and a smidge over 40" tall.

February 23 - Beach Day

Aidan's school had a beach theme at school today.  Seeing how it's the middle of winter, I was just going to put a summery shirt on him and let him wear his sun hat in the classroom.  Well, he had other ideas and insisted on wearing "short pants" and sunglasses.  He was pretty much the only one completely decked out, but as his teacher pointed out, it doesn't bother him to be a little different from everyone else.  Yep, he's a unique one all right.

February 22 - Hair Cut Day

Today I took Aidan in for his every 2 - 3 month hair cut.  I'm always amazed at how they're able to cut the hair of little squirmy kids.  Although this time, we may have crooked bangs.  Ah well, at least it's not in his eyes anymore!

February 21 - Hide and Seek

Playing hide and seek with a 4 year old is a riot.  First off, Aidan usually likes to announce where he's going to hide or hide in the same place over and over again, which makes it so funny to see him act surprised when you "find" him.  Tonight Al hid and Aidan and I hunted for him together and found him in the last room we checked.  It took 10 minutes because Aidan kept getting distracted.... a new book in his closet, a candy from the candy dish in the kitchen, etc...  

So, hide and seek is definintely a favourite in our house right now!

February 20 - Aidan quote of the day

"Mommy, I'm trying to drive you crazy.  Is it working yet"?

February 19 - Ski Lesson #6

More fun times at skiing today.  Aidan is now going down the hill with no aide (hoop or pole) and just me skiing beside him and attempting to guide him through turns and slow him by putting my hand on his chest.  The first time we attempted it, he got upset with me and told me not to help him that he wanted to do it all by himself.  So we had a battle of wits and I probably slowed him down more than I should've because I'm too nervous to just let him go.  Next week though, I'm going to ease up and try not to be the nervous nelly mother.

February 18 - Children's Museum

Today we went to the Children's Museum and had a ton of fun, as usual!  Aidan loves that place and we spent 5 hours playing and then finally dragged him out of there.  The water table is by far his favourite, followed closely by the maze that you make with big panels of fabric.

February 17 - Bonus Day

It's always a happy day when you get confirmation of your yearly bonus and it's over target to boot.  Woohoo!

February 16 - New Phone

I got a new cell phone today.  I finally broke down and got myself a "superphone" and have joined the 21st century in regards to communication.  I vowed I'd never get such a thing and it's really more than I need considering I rarely use my phone.  It's really nothing more than a toy, and I'm good with that!

First picture taken on the phone was Aidan at the dentist.  He did great and no cavities!

February 15 - Crazy Memory

At story time tonight, Aidan chose Dr. Seuss' McElligot's Pool which is one of the newer additions to his Dr. Seuss library.  We've ready it about a half dozen times or so over the last couple of weeks.  So tonight, Aidan tells me that he wants to read it and proceeds to recite the entire book (and it's a loooong one).  I had to prompt him with the start of pages, especially in the 2nd half of the book, but that's about it.  His memory blows me away, it's crazy!

February 14 - Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  Nothing all that different about today, other than exchanging some gifts.  Aidan had a party at school and came home with a bag full of candy and Valetine's Day cards.  He had fun and continued to do so when he got home to a helicopter lego set that we built together after dinner.  Alan did well this year too and came home with some roses for me and an amethyst ring and necklace... very happy!

February 13 - Monday Meltdown

Today Aidan had an epic meltdown at dinner time.  He was tired, he told me as much on the way home from school when he appeared to be in a good mood.  When we got home, he wanted to play outside for a few minutes for dinner,all good.  Then he comes in and sits down to write a few Valentine's Day cards and gets really frustrated saying he doesn't know how to write his name (which he does) and he got upset with himself.  I told him it was okay that he can try again after supper and if he's too tired, not to worry, I'll help him finish them.  Okay, that's good.  Then dinner gets to the table, spaghetti and the first attempt to twirl his spaghetti didn't work and that erupted into a major meltdown.  He was so frustrated, but didn't want any help and he ended up just sitting and crying, a very pathetic sad cry.  We let him go for a few minutes and then finally he just came and sat on my lap and cried some more.  At this point he was as hungry as he was tired, bad combination.  A few minutes later, he finally settled down and ate the entire meal plus a bit more and was happy again.  Holy geez, I'm glad we don't get those type of meltdowns very often!

February 12 - Skiing Lesson #5

At today's ski lesson, we "graduated" from the hula hoop to a pole (actually one of those bamboo racing gate sticks).  So, we ski side by side and I help guide his turns with the pole.  Suuuuure, I do.  Not as easy as it sounds, believe me.  He went down one time with our instructor and they got a great right turn going, so great that Aidan slid (or let go) off the pole and was all on his own, picking up some good speed.  He instinctively assumed a great stance for balance and just kept on going towards the side of the hill unable to stop.  The instructor raced after him and scooped him up and turned him the other direction and Aidan took off on him again.  It was right near the bottom, so it was all good.

So, we're 5 lessons in and he can kinda turn right, can't turn left and can't stop.  Technique a bit lacking, to say the least, but fear is nowhere to be found!

February 11 - Music Class

Aidan and I go to a parent and tot music class on Saturday mornings.  He started when he was about 3 1/2 and has really enjoyed it.  It's a lot of singing and jumping and dancing around mixed with introduction to music terms and theory.  One of the methods is to have round stickers on cards that represent music notes and they go in patterns to show that notes go up and down in tone.  The kids have to copy the patterns with round shapes on the floor.  Aidan has always done really well with it and today instead of showing the pattern, the teacher played it on the step bells instead and he was still able to make the pattern with his shapes on the floor.  It was awesome!

February 10 - Being different

When I picked Aidan up from school, I put his black mitts on.  He took them off and dug through his bag and pulled out one black mitt and one blue glove and put them on.  I said he should pick the match for one of them.  He says to me:  "I want to wear one of each.  When we went outside today, everyone had the same mitt on both hands, but I wanted to be different".  In an attempt to not squash his creativity, I just let it go.  We got some looks, but whatever!

February 9 - Happy Birthday, Mom

My Mom turned 80 years old today.  Happy Birthday, Mom!  I love you.

February 8 - Good Times!

This post is a day late, but for good reason!  Yesterday (Feb 8) was an annual corporate meeting where our entire group gets together.  That is a rare once or maybe twice a year deal for us.  We were missing a few folks this year, but most were there.  Traditionally, a few of us like to partake in post meeting festivities.  This year, one of my colleagues rented a hotel room and invited me to crash with her which gave me the perfect chance to actually have more than a drink or two since there would be no driving involved.  Let's just say, I had more than 2 drinks and let's just say I woke up with a monster headache.  I had a blast!  And we'll leave it at that.

February 7 - Go Fast!

Tonight we were playing racing airplanes and Aidan set up an obstacle course.  He explained the route and said you need to slow down in the corners.  Okay.  So, we start our race and he takes off and does no slowing down at all.  I followed the "rules" slowed down and of course lost the race.  So, I ask him what happened to his "slow down in the corners" and he tells me "But I have a CF-18 and they only go FAST"!  That's what I get for picking the cargo plane, I guess.

February 6 - Kindergarten registration

Today, I registered Aidan for JKFrench Immersion to start this Fall.  I can't believe he'll be going to school in just 7 months! I'm pretty nervous right now about the whole thing, especially the bus, but I'm sure I'll find a way to get myself over that. 

February 5 - Superbowl Sunday

Aidan is not that into watching football on TV yet, so my prime Superbowl watching came in after he was in bed.  What a nail biter!! But the Giants won, which is fine, but not as good as the fact that the Patriots lost!

February 4 - Pizza, Friends and Giant Pink Crayons

Today, I went out for my Christmas lunch with my friend Peter.  Yes, I know it's February.  He and I have always done our Christmas thing after Christmas.  Admitedly, this year is a little later than usual, but equally as fun an outing.  It's always great to see him and spend several hours sitting in a Pizza Hut catching up since the last time we saw each other. 

While I was doing that, Al took Aidan to Dave & Busters for some arcade fun.  When I pulled up the driveway, they were unloading from the truck and my eye immediately caught onto a very large pink something.  It ended up being a 4' stuffed crayon.  Just what we needed!

February 3 - Hematologist Day

Today, I had my referral consult to the hematologist in regards to the kidney infarct from before Christmas.  He was nice and funny, I liked him.  He had me do blood work that took 15 vials... 15!!!  That's ridiculous and far beats my prevoius record of only six.  Results will be back in 3 months and I have a follow up with him June 1st. 

February 2 - Breakfast for Supper

What is it about bacon and eggs and pancakes that taste that much better when you have it for supper instead of breakfast?  Yummmmy, that's what we had!

February 1 - So long Ontario Place

I was a bit upset to read in the news today that the Ontario government is shutting down Ontario Place.  Well, everything except for the Amphitheatre and the Marina.  It's a bid sad, I have lots of memories from that place.  It also is the Marina that we use, so now we have to decide if we want to risk staying there this season with no plans in place and the potential for it to close at any time or to make a move to a differant one. 

January 31 - Crappy winter

I'm getting so tired of the weather this winter.  Hardly any snow and just when you get enough to cover the ground, it warms up just enough to be rainy and miserable.  I'm over it, I want my normal snowy winter!

January 30 - Growing Boy

I finally remembered to weigh Aidan toinght so I could get his "official" 4 year stats.  He is now 40.5" tall and about 35lbs.  At his 3rd birthday he was 31.5lbs and 37.5" so he's done a good bit of growing this past year.  I could've sworn he'd weigh more though because I swear when I pick him up he feels more like 50lbs!

January 29 - Ski Lesson #3

I had a great time with Aidan at his ski lesson today.  Our warm-up was to run part of the way up the hill running between some gates.  He always complains about walking in his boots, yet he took off in a flash and was one of the first ones to the top.  Not only that, he beat me to the bottom on the way down.  It was also the first day for riding the magic carpet and he did great.  The attendant kept telling him that he remembers him and that he doesn't need any help and would just let him go on his own.  The skiing itself went well.  The first run we were in under the snow guns and we got soaked.  At the bottom, the instructor said for everyone to go inside and dry off.  We started to walk to the chalet and Aidan was getting upset and said he didn't want to go in.  So, I went against the grain and kept him out.  One of the instructors stayed out as well, so we had a private lesson for 2 runs before the rest of the class came back out again.  He skied well, but is still not very interesting in trying to stop, so we need to work on that.  He seems to be enjoying it though and that's the main thing!

January 28 - Ski Waxing

Tonight I got the old waxing iron out and gave Aidan's a skis a good hot wax.  There was really nothing left on the bases, so they really needed it!  It really brought back memories of doing the same with my Dad when I was a kid and he didn't fool around, we did them very regularly.  I'm really starting to appreciate how much effort he put into introducing me to and letting me pursue skiing.  I hope Aidan feels the same about me some day. 

January 27 - So Sweet

Sometimes Aidan just randomly says the sweetest things.  Tonight at dinner he looked at me and said:  "I don't have to look the same as you and you don't have to look the same as me because we're all the same on the inside".  That's my boy!

January 26 - Backwards Underwear

Sometimes you have to let kids learn for themselves, or at least hope they will.  This morning while Aidan was getting dressed and I noticed that he was putting his underweard on backwards, I tell him that assuming he'll turn them around and instead I got:  "Oh Mom, *sigh*, once I get the pants on, nobody will know".  So,I let him go all day like that and hoped he'd see that it was uncomfortable.  I'd say that backfired because when he was getting ready for bed, he put the underwear and both the top and bottom of the PJs on backwards.  Oh well!

January 25 - Why?

Like your average toddler, Aidan is always full of "why" questions.  This mornings was particularly funny when out of the blue he aks:  "Mommy, why is school for 5 days and the weekend is only 2"?  And so it starts... I came up with some half baked answer about school making you smarter to which he responded "But I already know everything".  I decided to to puruse the conversation any further. :-)

January 24 - Dentists

I had an appointment today to get 2 fillings done.  I really hate the dentist and for good reason, those needles are ridiculous!  And the drill, ugh.  And to make it even that much more pleasant, he accidentally drilled my tongue.  It's a tad on the sore side tonight.  Did I mention that I hate the dentist?

January 23 - Computer Time

Aidan has never really shown much interest in electronic games or the computer.  I know he has a little computer time at school, but he's really had none at home.  He found a Thomas computer game that I bought a year ago, that he didn't care for then, and decided he wanted to give it at try.  He's able to navigate it well and he's chosen to play that game the past couple of nights before bed instead of TV or toys.  I guess it's time to set up a little table for him because the coffee table is a bit uncomfortable.

January 22 - Skiing Lesson #2

Aidan and I had our 2nd Mom & Tot ski lesson today and, with the assistance of a hula hoop, he was skiing from almost half way up the hill by himself.  I'd use the same hula hoop to pull him up the hill which meant the lesson was quite the workout for me!  We had a lot of fun and next week, we ride the magic carpet lift for the first time.

January 21 - I'm a Big Boy Now!

Today we passed our last potty training milestone and got rid of Aidan's potty!  He's ready to use the "big toilet" exclusively now.  He thinks he's too big for the potty now that he's 4 years old and I'm really happy to not have a potty to clean out anymore.

We started potty training when he was 2yrs7mos old and he caught on almost immediately to not wetting himself and after 2 weeks, had very rare pee accidents.  Poop was a whole other story though and he had a daily poop accident until almost a full year later when he finally decided to use the potty and within a week or so, we had no more accidents at all.  At that same time, we stopped the diapers at night and he has never wet the bed (knock on wood).  Here we are 6 months after that and the potty is history.  Woohoo!

January 20 - When I Grow Up...

Today Aidan made his first declaration of what he wants to be when he grows up... a scientist that studies sea creatures so he can learn more about angler fish.  This will be the first of many choices, no doubt, but not bad for his first one.

January 19 - American Idol

First week of Idol and I'm already sucked in for the season.  I just wish they didn't have so much of the preliminary shows and just get to the live stuff with the people who actually have a little talent.  But anyway, I'll still watch it all, and likely complain about it along the way! :-)

January 18 - Time for School?

Registration for JK is only a couple of weeks away and I'm a bit stressed out over what program to choose.  On the one hand there is the public school just down the road that is a small town/country school that I wanted for Aidan when we moved.  They score well on the standardized testing and really I have no concerns there other than I may have an issue with before/after care if my work from home situation ever changes.  On the other hand is the french immersion program with the school 20kms away.  I really think the FI program is great and would love for him to go through it, but the school test results are really not great, the school is over-crowded and they will be going through a re-zoning next year.  So lots of uncertainty there.  I'm 90% decided on the local school, but not quite there yet. 

January 17 - Swimming Lessons

Aidan is doing great in his swimming lessons now.  He breezed through Sea Turtles in the Fall and is now trying to make his way through Sea Otters.  That's all well and good, I just wish the registration process wasn't so frustrating.  Registration is going on now for the Winter II session, but I don't find out until Friday what level to register him in, at which time the "prime" after work spots will likely be filled up.  Fortunately, they're pretty good about it and I now have him registered twice and just have to cancel the one he doesn't end up taking.  But seriously, wouldn't it just be a lot easier to delay the registration until AFTER the week everyone is told what level to register in?  There are still 2 weeks until the next session starts, just sayin'...

January 16 - Football

So, I'm just a little over a week into this blogging thing and I already missed day.  My excuse?  I fell asleep in front of the TV at about 9:30 and woke up only long enough to roll into bed.

Yesterday's memory is football.  Aidan's new favourite game is to play football with us.  He's the good guy and Al and I are the bad guys.  He throws the ball and we all run to try to get it first.  Needless to say, there have been a few collisions, but yesterdays was the "best" when Al moved out of the way and Aidan was running full speed and smacked right into the toy shelf.  He shook it off, like any good football player would, and we were right back at it again.

January 15 - Skiing

Today Aidan and I had our first Parent & Tot ski lesson.  He was skiing on his own, and falling on his own too. :-)  He seemed to have fun and after going down the short distance at the bottom of the hill, he announced that he wanted to go to the top... maybe soon.  His last run down he had a wide stance with a downhill tuck - I may have a speed demon on my hands!

January 14 - Happy Birthay, Aidan!

It's hard to believe Aidan is already 4 years old.  I tend to get pretty emotional on his birthday because, at times, I still find it so hard to believe that I actually have him in my life. 

Today we had his birthday party and we had 10 kids here for a Zoo to You show with different animals that the kids could interact with.  Aidan liked the alligator and the snakes the best.  I noticed for the first time at this party how well he interacts with his friends, it's really heart warming to watch.

January 13 - Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday!  I woke up this morning to my "surprise" card from Aidan.  Dr. Seuss, very appropriate.  He informed me that I can read it whenever I want, since it's mine.  :-)  Al was good to me this year as well and got me my much needed replacement croc slippers, an oversized station clock for the great room and a dozen red roses.  I've also been informed tonight that there is a cake, but we had swimming for Aidan tonight, so we didn't get a chance to have it.  Between Aidan's leftover school cake and his cake for his party tomorrow, we may be a bit caked out by the end of the weekend.

I spent a good part of my day prepping for Aidan's party tomorrow.  It's entirely possible that I've gone overboard, but I don't care, it's fun and he deserves it.  I'm hopeful for a fun and successful party tomorrow!

January 12 - Surprise?

When I tucked Aidan in tonight, he pulled a card out from under his covers and says: "Daddy told me to tell you this is a surprise, so you can't show anybody what's inside". I asked him if he wanted me to open it and he said "Not until after I sleep, I'm supposed to give it to you after I sleep". I can't wait to be surprised in the morning! :-)

January 11 - Aidan Quotes

Aidan's best two quotes from today...

While collecting all of his colouring markers:  "I have a lot of markers.  Whoever built my house, built it with a lot of markers".

After being teased he was a baby:  "I'm not a baby!  I'm in Preschool 2 and I'm going to be 4 years old in just 3 more days"!

January 10 - Birthday Cake

Sometimes Aidan can say some really cute stuff and today we had one of those conversations that made me smile.

Me:  How many days until your birthday?
Aidan:  4!
Me:  How many days until Mommy's birthday, it's one less than yours
Aidan:  I'm not excited for your birthday
Me:  I'm not particularly excited about it either
Aidan:  I'm not excited for your birthday because there will be no cake
Me:  No cake??  How come?? No fair!
Aidan:  I can't get you cake by myself, I need help
Me:  You could ask Daddy for help and then it would be a surprise for me
Aidan then runs across the kitchen to Alan
Aidan:  Daddy, Mommy wants a cake but I can't do it by myself
Some whispering...
Aidan:  Mommy, want kind of animal do you want on your cake?
Me:  You don't have to get an animal, just plain would be great
Aidan:  Daddy, Mommy says no animal, just plain
More whispering...

So, I wonder if I'm going to actually get a cake?  I guess we'll find out in 3 days!

January 9 - Paper Ocean

Aidan has been obsessed with ocean animals for a long time.  For Christmas, he got a Crayola Colour Wonder sticker set of all ocean creatures.  He coloured them all and then took a 4' piece of paper from his easel and stuck them all on there so that he could have his very own ocean.  Tonight, he decided to start cutting out sea animals from his colouring book and is now creating what he called his "paper ocean".  The only thing he loves more than sea animals right now are his scissors.  After all, this is the kid, who at one point last year, wanted to dress up as scissors for Halloween.  Anyway, end result is a whole crap load of cut up pieces of paper in the shape of sea animals including a family of snails all lined up in a row that Bounce walked through and displaced... that did not go over very well!  No worries though, they're all nicely lined up in a row again and all is well in the Paper Ocean again.   

January 8 - Hockey Game

Today was a fun family day, we took Aidan to his first hockey game.  He wasn't too sure about what was going on and kept asking if the guys in green (home team Battalion) scored and did a fine job of cheering when they did.  We capped the day off with supper at a Chinese buffet which Aidan didn't want to go to at first and when we announced we were driving there anyway, he let us know:  "When I'm an adult, I'm going to drive so that I can go wherever I want to go and not where you want to go".  I told him that's fine and dandy, as soon as he buys himself a car!

All in all a great day!