Nicolas' lost tooth

Tonight Nicolas lost his very first tooth.  It has been wiggling for a while and we can already see the new tooth coming in behind it.  Steve has been bugging Nicolas in hopes that he would let Steve pull it out.  But, Nicolas was very skeptical and a little scared.  It was so loose that we were unsure what was actually keeping it in his mouth.  When Steve offered again, Nicolas said that he would let me try and pull it out.  I have been telling him for weeks that I had no interest or desire to pull out his teeth.

Reluctantly, I gave it a little tug and out it came!  He was so excited!  Here is a picture of my big boy... (I cannot believe that they are old enough to be losing teeth already).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just had our big Thanksgiving dinner at Mom-I and Pop-I's.  The boys were thrilled to finally have a boy cousin to play with!  They got along so well with Elliott and it was so much fun to watch.

A few family members didn't make it this year but they were not forgotten...

So much to be thankful for each and every year.  This year was no different...

Street Hockey

The neighborhood had a pick-up street hockey game this afternoon.  There were 8 boys playing.  It was so much fun to watch.  I love where we live!

Future curlers? ... I think so!

Yesterday was the open house for the junior program at the curling club.  We decided to take the boys to check it out and see if they might be interested in playing this winter.  We arrived at the end of the open house since Coby spent the better part of the afternoon with the boys at our house.  There were not very many people still around but the boys (all three of them) got to go out on the ice and throw some rocks.  Needless to say, the boys loved it!

They had a ton of fun and want to start curling this winter.  So, it looks like we will be signing them up for the junior program.  It is for an hour and a half on either Saturday or Sunday afternoon.  So, it should be very easy to work into our schedule.  The nice thing is that I don't think it will tie them down too much.  I cannot wait to see how it goes...

Playdates

The boys have been lucky enough to have had a few playdates over the last two weekends.  They enjoy it so much and it is so great to see them hanging out with their friends.  They have done a wonderful choice at picking their buddies.  It is great to see that they are already very judges of character.  I can only hope that this continues into the future.  I think it will serve them well.

Fun with Casimir:

Practicing Karate with Coby:

Off to a good a start...

The new school year has begun and the boys are in full swing.  They are already bringing home homework and are loving this new challenge.  They are gearing up to reading and my boys have been looking forward to this day since they began kindergarten.

The boys seem to have lucked out in the teacher department.  Both of their teachers are very friendly and sweet ladies.  Nicolas' teacher seems a little more strict but likes Nicolas quite a bit.  She informed us that he is very bright and enjoys participating in class.  He is always one of the first to raise his hand and is doing very well.  We are not in the least surprised by all of this.  We are so proud of him!

Zachary's teacher is so sweet and gentle.  She is the perfect person for Zachary.  He has already clicked with her and is making so much progress.  Last year our biggest struggle was trying to get Zachary to talk to his teacher.  Even though he liked her a great deal, he was unable to get over the anxiety of speaking in school.  We worked very hard with his teacher last year but was never able to break through.  This meant that grade one would prove to be a little bit more challenging for all involved until we could come up with a solution that worked.

As it stands now, Zachary has said something, out loud, to his teacher every day for almost the last week!  We started out by recording a video and sending it to his new teacher.  The next day, he went in and asked her to use the restroom!   I am just thrilled to know that if there is a problem, he can now verbalize it to his teacher.  I am so proud of just how far he has come.  We worked very hard with him to put him in new situations and boost his confidence and it seems to be paying off.  Let's just hope the trend continues!  But his teacher is completely on board and already has a soft spot for Zachary.  Who can blame her?

Charlie is doing so well.  He is so smart and caring.  I plan on getting him into an activity at the library this year and he will be helping me volunteer at the school library.  He misses his bog brothers during the day but it makes him so happy to see them when they get off the school bus.  I think he enjoys having the run of the house and access to all they toys!

Grade 1

Well, it is that time of year again.  School has officially started and today was the first full day (they went to school for a half day Thursday and Friday last week).

Zachary was home sick since he came down with a raging fever (only other symptom was a headache) on Sunday night.  The fever finally broke this morning and all he needs now is to regain his appetite so he can get some energy.  Hopefully he will be well enough tomorrow since I know he is very upset about missing the first full day.

Nicolas had a great day/  Details are sketchy but he came off the bus happy, excited and full of energy.  I am sure it's going to be a good year.  Here are a few pictures we snapped on the very first (half day) of grade 1!

Another successful family trip to Mont Tremblant!

It's that time of year again when we have returned home from our family trip up North to Mont Tremblant.  Again this year we had a fantastic time.  The weather cooperated and it was warm but not too hot.  The nights got very cool and it only rained one evening/night.

The kids got to do all of their favorite activities and even managed to add a few new ones.  Zachary got to go out one evening to a real golf course and hit a few balls off the driving range.  Then, he even got to go out to a real course and play a few holes!  He was so very excited!  During this time Nicolas and Charlie got to spend extra time at the pool and even have a few runs down the luge!  We also took a pontoon ride on the river and Nicolas got to drive the boat!

This year the boys tried the Euro Bungee.  Nicolas was a little scared and didn't jump all that much.  He was, however, the first to volunteer to try and jump.  Charlie was not overly impressed and didn't last.  He was a little too young and didn't want to jump.  It took Zachary watching both of his brothers trying to finally decide to get on it.  Once he did he loved it!  He even managed to get in a few flips!  After seeing Zachary go, Nicolas wanted another shot at it but that meant another hour long wait so it never happened.  I'm sure they will try again next year.

Steve managed to play 3 rounds of golf and I got to hike a new trail up the mountain.  It was quite challenging and it took me 1 hour and 53 minutes to get to the peak.  That included a 5-10 minute detour when I turned the wrong way in a clearing!  It was quite the beautiful hike.  One I would love to repeat.

Here are some pictures from our adventures up North...

First try at baseball...

Zachary and Nicolas have expressed some interest in playing baseball.  Luckily one of the kids from their soccer team last year is playing and I was able to get in touch with them.  Brody's Dad is coaching the team (he was the assistant coach for our soccer team last year) and told us to come by to their game tonight.  He told us the boys could even try if they wanted to.  The only requirement was that they wear a cup.

So, I went out and got them each a cup and we headed out to the game tonight.  The team was short a few players and Zachary was the first to jump in and lend a hand after watching the first inning.  Nicolas joined the inning after that!  I am so proud that they were willing to give it a try.  They did great and had lots of fun!  They have even expressed an interest in playing next summer.  Hopefully we will be able to get them on Brody's team since Brett is an excellent coach and the boys love him.

Here are a few pictures from our fun night out at baseball.  Zachary was number 19 and Nicolas was number 3.

The switch went off for Nico

It finally happened!  After months of working with Nicolas to get him comfortable with putting his head under the water he finally did it!  He practiced a ton today and we can now safely say that he is no longer scared of putting his head under water!  It took a lot of work and time but it has happened.

He still needs practice and figuring out how to swim under water but we are well on our way.  He also needs to undo lots of training himself to swim with his head above water.  But, the desire is there and the fear is gone.  I am so happy for him now that the pressure is off.

All that's left to do is to get Charlie into swimming lessons.  He, however, is showing no interest at all.  Maybe a fun swim and gym class during the fall will help...

So tired from all that swimming!

Zachary is so tired from all of the swimming during his lessons that he is still asleep!  It is 9:45 in the morning and he is still out cold!  The boys have been going to bed a little later than usual but Nicolas has been awake since 8:15 and Charlie since 7:45 (he had a nap yesterday).

The lessons are really taking a lot out of him.  He is starting to swim laps and learn strokes which is very exhausting.  He is doing so unbelievably well.  Nicolas is making progress and will do great once he puts his head under the water.  He is ready for the next level physically but needs to get over the mental hump of not going under the water.  Only time will tell but his swimming instructor, Alec is determined to get him over it this summer!

Yoga with Mommy (and Tony Horton)

I started focusing on my workouts again since I have been slacking lately.  On the schedule for today was Yoga and Zachary was extremely interested in joining me.  So, I decided to do the workout while all three kids were awake and could join in.  They all started strong and one by one they dropped like flies!  First Charlie lost interest and then Nicolas.  Zachary lasted the longest and made it through close to the entire workout.  Here are a few pictures I snapped during some of their favorite poses...

A Great Escape to The Great Escape!

We just got back from a really fun trip to Lake George, NY.  We have been to the Great Escape Lodge a few times before but never in the summer.  So, we decided to give it a try.  And I am ever glad we did.  It was so much fun for everyone.  The boys enjoyed the Six Flags amusement park that was located just across the street from the hotel.  They tried all kinds of rides and had a blast!

It was great to be able to come back to the hotel, get out of the sun (or rain) and enjoy the indoor water park.  It was a great way to end most of our days.  We actually never made it into Lake George to check out the lake or the beach.  We were having way too much fun at the amusement park and the water park.

All in all it was a highly successful trip that will more than likely be repeated.  It also gives me hope that my boys will not have the same motion sickness issues Steve has.  Which means a trip to Disney and Legoland will not be wasted in the future!