Fun in the snow

The boys and I had almost 2 hours (broken up into two different outings) of fun outside today.  It's a good thing we took advantage of the beautiful day because it's supposed to get real cold over the next two days.  Their favorite thing is having me make snowballs for them.  They throw them in the air and if they are not completely smashed upon landing, them stomp on them!

Zachary:

Nicolas:

We just discovered puzzles!

Almost 2 months ago I took out some very basic beginner puzzles for the boys to try.  At that time, they were not at all ready for them.  They had no idea what to do and so I put them away again.  Last night I decided to take them back out and try again.  They love them!  It only took us showing them how to do it twice before they were able to manage on their own.  This morning, the both sat quietly with their puzzles and played.  It was adorable to watch.


Zachary:

 

Nicolas:

 

My bottomless pits!

The boys must be going through a growth spurt at the moment because they are bottomless pits!  They are constantly eating and can't seem to get enough.  The good thing is that it has been a good time to introduce a lot of new food since they seem to be up to trying new things.  It still takes some coaxing, but at least they end up trying and liking most of it.

Their insatiable appetite is making me question whether or not we will be able to afford to feed them once they become teenagers!  At least we have a few years ahead of us to start planning for it!

A change of plans...

This Norwalk virus that has infested our house really sucks.  We have all recovered from it but it is such a rampant virus that it is spreading across the country like wild fire.  They are even worried about it affecting the Olympics!  It hit my in-laws on Thursday-Friday while they were here visiting.  I am almost certain (99% sure) that it did not come from us, but it is proof that it is just lingering everywhere you go.  I hope that Grandma and Grandpa are feeling better today since I know first hand how crappy I felt while I had it.

So, yet again we are in quarantine to make sure that we don't infect anyone else.  We were supposed to go away over night with 4 other couples but we are staying home.  Steve and I are making the best of it and are having an "at-home" date night.  We will be ordering in and opening a bottle of wine once the boys go to bed.  Although I am extremely disappointed that I am not going with my friends, my three men can always manage to put a big smile on my face.  How could I not smile looking at this:

Zachary supporting the Canadian Olympic team:

Nicolas supporting the Canadian Olympic team:

Zachary and his Beefaroni beard:

Nicolas and his Beefaroni beard:

They are just so much fun right now.  I could just eat them up!

Nicolas and his letters....

The boys have really been playing with the easel they got for Christmas.  One side has a chalkboard and the other side is magnetic with letters and numbers.  It was given to them by my Aunts and Uncles on my Father's side.

Nicolas is enthralled with the letters.  All he wants us to do now is tell him the letters he points at, including when he is being read a story.  He is getting so good at recognizing them now.  He can easily pull out the letters A through P and can usually almost make it to Z.  He is also capable of saying the letters: B, C (not always), D, E, F (sound mostly like the sound F makes) and G (sounds like gee).  I took a little video of the letters A through D just to give you all an idea of what I am talking about.... I have a much longer video of him getting all the way to P, but I think you can get the point from this shorter one.



I know this post is all about me bragging but what can I say, I am very proud of how smart my little man is!

Update

Thankfully our house is almost back to normal.  Steve and I are both feeling better and the boys are almost there.  We ended up taking them to their pediatrician yesterday just to have them checked out.  They both lost over 1 pound since their 18 month check-up (over 2 months ago), but there were no signs of dehydration.  I wasn't surprised but I still figured after more than 4 days of diarrhea, it was best to consult a professional.

Last night we had our first normal night of the boys sleeping right through again.  What a relief!  I am just so drained and trying so hard to recover that the extra uninterrupted sleep was great!  It is definitely a good sign that we are at the tail end of this horrible flu.

Getting better...

I am on the mend.  I am just exhausted.  I haven't slept much in a few days.  I am physically, mentally and emotionally a mess - I am just wiped. 

The boys seem to be better but tonight is the big test.  They were fine all day yesterday.  They kept food down and only had some slight diarrhea.  But still they both threw up in the middle of the night.  I think it has more to do with their pre-bed bottle of milk than anything else.  At least that's all I hope it is.  So, tonight we did not give up them their bottle.  Hopefully, this will be the end of the puking for the boys... at least their spirits were better today.

I have already started disinfecting the house.  It will continue tomorrow...

The house of puke!

Well, the boys and I have managed to catch the flu or a stomach virus.  I spent the better part of last night throwing up and when I was finally done and ready to go to sleep, the boys started.  They were both up about every 30 minutes all night throwing up.  It was extremely unpleasant.  I felt so sorry for them because I know how horrible they must be feeling.

Hopefully tonight will be better... only time will tell...

Ti-Min -short for Petit Minou (small Cat)... I guess

When I was little, my favorite stuffy was a pink cat.  This is surprising because I hated pink!  Anyhow, I used to constantly rub my nose on her nose.  I still have this cat and she is still in pretty good shape.  She is in with all of the boys' other stuffies in their playroom.  Well, they found it yesterday and started to play with it.  I was able to get some pretty cute pictures of the boys holding and hugging this little pink cat...

Zachary:

Zachary giving the kitty a big hug:

Nicolas:

Nicolas giving Ti-Min a huge hug:

Fiona and Philippa come to visit...

The boys got a visit from their cousins Fiona and Philippa yesterday (Uncle Tom and Aunt Alison were there as well...).  It has been a while since we've last seen them (it may even have been the boys' first birthday) but it didn't take long for the boys to warm up to everyone.  Fiona is 7 years old and is great with younger kids!  I was so impressed with how gentle and caring she was with them.  Zachary followed her around all day and was constantly taking her by the hand so she would play with him.  And as soon as Nicolas found out she was leaving, he was all about giving her lots of hugs.

It was a little harder with Philippa since she is only 4 years old.  She hasn't quite understood that they are younger than her and are not trying to be mean by taking toys she is playing with.  They just want to copy her and she doesn't realize that it's a compliment and not a bad thing.  It will get easier in another year or so once she gets the whole "being a big cousin thing".  But all in all, it was great...

Philippa, Nicolas and Fiona:

Fiona helping Zachary go down the stairs:

Nicolas giving Fiona a good-bye hug:

New Year's...

We had a quiet night at home and it was more than ok with us.  The boys were in bed and completely asleep before 9:00.  Steve and I managed to stay up to see the ball drop but were asleep minutes later.  It was a wonderful evening for just the two of us.  We watched the Canadiens win their game as well as Team Canada in the World Junior tournament.  We spent lots of time talking about 2009 and dreaming of our plans and goals for 2010.  Most of those dreams and goals revolved around our two little men...

I have a great little family.  I am a happy and lucky woman.  I am looking forward to 2010 and all it will bring...