The Countdown Is On

This week has been full of errands and bookkeeping.

Not exciting at all.

You know how you question whether all the hard work to prepare for a vacation is worth it?

Well, that is not at all the case here.

I am so excited for this trip to Germany and any amount of prep work is more than worth it.

I haven't seen Charmian and Jon since I was 12 weeks pregnant with Fiona and have not met their beautiful daughter.

In preparation for this trip we have done absolutely no activity planning.

Honestly, just seeing the above mentioned is more than enough for me.

Of course, we're hanging with some amazingly seasoned travellers who call Germany their home so I'm anticipating wonderful things.

I actually love travelling with no expectations and feel no stress to "fit it all in". 

In my experience this can prevent you from really taking anything "in".

So because I have no exciting events to share from the week I am sharing some pictures of our drive just out of town last week for a fun visit.

It has been beautiful here which makes for great outdoor days but also means that Edmonton and surrounding areas are coated in ice.

These kids seemed to make the best of it though with some extra fast sledding and rock solid tunnels.

Our 12th Day of Christmas

On our twelfth day of Christmas the big day was all done.

We headed to the lake for resting and fun.

I can't decide if I love the lead up, the actual day or the aftermath of Christmas more.

It was all fabulous but our time at the cabin was the perfect way to decompress after the bustle.

Our gift to each of the littles was a pair of skates.

 We braved the -20C weather and laced up as soon as possible.

 I was impressed with both the kids but especially Fiona.

After 5 minutes of help from Daddy, she insisted that she could "do myself".

She has actually been blowing me away lately with her courage and determination.

I was, and continue to be, immensely proud.

 We came in to warm up by the fire with hot chocolate {a smidgen of Baileys for Mama} and a game of Crazy Eights.

 We always manage to forget something and are forced to head down to the general store.

 I'm so glad we did since I would have hated to miss their sweet decor.

Our days ended with forts...

...candles...

 ...and on our last night some extra excitement.

This was the only picture I was able to capture of all the kids during the Lairds' visit.

It was non-stop shenanigans and laughs.

Just the way we like it.

Deep Freeze Festival {We Love You}

I am ashamed to say this was our first year attending Deep Freeze.

We spent Saturday afternoon at this Arts on the Ave festival and were absolutely blown away.

This was a really well-executed winter festival.

Finally!

It took me back to my years in french immersion when we celebrated the Carnaval de Quebec.

{On a very small scale.}

I have been longing for a proper Cabane a Sucre for years.

I loved how Deep Freeze seemed to effortlessly blend this year's Western theme with many Native and French Canadian elements.

Best of all Fiona was happy the entire time {minus the mandatory initial toddler shy phase}. 

Honestly, it seemed like everyone was.

This festival had a seriously good vibe. 

There were so many equally fantastic activities that the line ups for all of them were reasonable.

In fact, there were so many that we didn't get to them all.

I had to prompt most but the one post Fiona wouldn't let me whisk her past was the street hockey.

Again, making Daddy and Great-Aunt Julie proud.

 Thankfully the weather warmed a little from the -25 we've had recently.

Still, the warming area was a welcome sight and the music inside was fantastic.

We didn't take advantage of the full concession but spotted others with such amazing fare as tourtiere and poutine.

{It pays to have organized and thoughtful festival companions, thanks Diana and Carly for the refreshments!}

 This festival is now at the top of my favourite list.

We won't miss it again.

Green Toddler Outerwear

Sometimes it pains me to pack away Fiona's outgrown clothes.

There are always a couple of outfits or pieces that are so sweet on her I can barely stand to see them go.

This sweater was one of those things for me.

It's really not that special but there was just something about the colour and detail that appealed to me.

So, I decided to give this sweater another life.

It has been reincarnated as Fiona's newest hat and mitts.

Here's how we did it.

This process involved a lot of toddler involvement so the pics took a backseat.

When the toddler doesn't feel like being involved it takes some estimating.

{If you know me well you already know I'm the master of estimating, at least I think I am.}

1. Measure.

Put the end of the sleeve over the toddler hand and see how far up their fingers go.

Cut about an inch above this point {please remove before cutting}.

Turn these pieces inside out, lay their hands on top and mark where their thumb would be.

{I used pins but a fabric pencil or chalk would be safer if you have a fidgeter.}

Yes, those are Halloween tattoos, no we didn't make these at Halloween.

Fiona found them in her sticker box and insisted they would be great.

Cut those pieces into mitten shapes.

Turn the body of the shirt inside out.

Put the hem over their head and see how tall it needs to be to cover their ears.

Once I had 2 hands I actually marked the shape of her head {more or less}.

I also marked how much it would need to be taken in to stay on her head.

{This picture shows the shirt on right side out. I actually did turn it inside out after but this little miss was done posing.}

Always a ham.

2. Sew.

Around the edge of the mittens {keep them inside out}, I tried to only leave a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

For the hat, sew on the markings then cut the seam allowance after.

This way you have some room to play if you need to adjust the shape or size.

I tried Fiona's on a couple of times before I cut the rest off.

I wanted to keep the whole bow from the shirt so that's why it ended up not perfectly shaped.

I was still so happy with the result and she loves them.

"Mommy makes a spesho hats for Fiona."

Splish Splash

Why am I always shocked, come winter, by how early it gets dark?

Once our clocks "fall back" I'm ready to go to bed at 7:00.

Bedtime used to creep up on us as we played outdoors.

Now the evening seems endless.

I don't tend to take the kids out once it's dark.

This means that we're stuck in the house from 5:30 on.

No quick walks around the neighbourhood for us.

What to do to pass the time?

T'is the season for long, warm bedtime baths.

The kids could go for days in the summer without bathing.

We have to make a conscious effort to get them in the tub.

The winter is a different story.

They make a splashy mess of the bathroom bathe almost daily.

It's extra fun now that Cedric is sitting and splashing along with his big sis.

The only challenge is to keep their skin from drying out.

T'is also the season for moisturizer, and lots of it.

{I hear that.}

Snow Day

I know, I know, it's all over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and blogs.

I can't help it though.

The first snow is always a little exciting.

Don't hate me just yet, I'm not praying for a dump or anything.

I just love watching my kids experience the snow.

This was Cedric's first glimpse of the white stuff and suffice it to say he was puzzled.

It was also the first year that Fiona could really enjoy it.

She's steady enough to run through the flakes screaming "I's gots snow on a my nose Mommy".

And how is it that kids instinctively open their mouths to catch snowflakes?

Now I'm just looking forward to making snowpeople and snowangels.

{Ok, maybe I'm hoping for a bit of a dump.}