tiffany's spot

Do you realize that in four months Christmas will be over? I know. We were all thinking it, someone had to say it. I want to start Christmas shopping soon, for the kids, for the husband, for our parents! This is the year, seriously, where I want the gifts bought before December. This year I'm stealing a system that a blogger friend of mine uses when shopping for her kids. Each kid gets four presents: something they want something they need something to wear something to read I think it's awesome. It gives variety, while also helping to focus the Christmas shopping as well as curb excess gift-buying. Looking at the list this way I already have ideas for some of the kids. Can't wait to get started!

My kids are constantly asking me how many sleeps until ___________. Tennyson asked me the other day how many sleeps until his birthday. I have no idea. I usually sigh and tell him that I have no idea, that his birthday isn't until the spring and it's only August. His birthday is roughly eight months away. The latest countdown is for the start of school. The other day I wrote all three of their names on the whiteboard and beside them I wrote how many days each of them has to wait until school. 12 - Mitchell 14 - Jordan 18 - Tennyson Mitchell starts nursery school before the "big kid" schools start. He starts on the Tuesday of the long weekend. Jordan starts on Thursday. Tennyson is starting kindergarten this year and his teacher likes to split the class into three groups and for the first three days of school she takes only one group at a time. It gives her a chance to spend a couple of hours with a smaller group before the entire class comes racing through her...

This is my littlest son, in the front seat of the van, on the way through the Tim Horton's drive through, on his fourth birthday. I know, I know, I'm bad, but it made him feel awfully special and important! Can't believe this little monster is four already. Love you Mitchell!

We've had a busy summer! We've spent 14 nights in our camper (2 more to go!), gone to spray parks in both Morden and MacGregor, hit the beach a couple of times, and yucked it up at the parks here in town with friends. I like being busy, but then I like veg days too. Mitchell's birthday was on Friday. Today marked his third and final birthday celebration. He's now four. I can't really believe that he's four. He's always been such a baby. Not in a bad way, in a "I love to be nurtured and cuddled and I don't want to do things myself" way. Lately he's become a lot more spunky. Today he ran around with spider man and shot Grandpa V with web missiles. If I was spider man I'd invest in some web missiles for sure! Tonight as the third and final fourth birthday party was wrapping up (confusing sentence I know, but I love it!) Steven's sister called to let me know that she had a bucket of salamanders with my name on it. After I had se...

No idea where they get that idea. Today we stumbled across another "pet" that the kids had to bring home, in a coffee cup, in the cup holder of my mini van. This is Slither, because that's what he does. Of course upon bringing home a baby garter snake, it's important to let him play on the trampoline. I was a little surprised that Mitchie even touched him at all! His new home, until he "accidentally" gets away. Next on my pet wish list: a gecko.

Jordan wants to protect nature, and marry Emily, and climb things, and not brush her hair, and save the trees from her axe-wielding daddy. Could be a wild ride with this one.