How we spent our New Year's Eve Day

We revisited the tree that will soon come down...



Liam snuggled with his buddy, Dido. . .



The big boys went sledding. . .



And Mom thought this might be the last slide for a while as the snow is rapidly melting. . .



It was a good day.

Two out of Three Billy Goats

Getting all three boys in a shot at the same time doesn't happen very often, and today was no exception. Liam was off playing on his own (with Kieran's Christmas toys!) while Kieran gave Aidan a tutorial on Star Wars. We thought Aidan would be afraid of the Clone helmet, but nope! He wanted to try it on too, of course! Once he learned what buttons to push to make it talk, he was hooked on it. Kieran is so patient with Aidan, it does my Princess Leia heart good.





I had fun taking the photo below. Aidan was a very good model, he actually gets upset now when I put the camera away! I just love the little Batman Pj's my mom got him for Christmas (that James picked out). One can never have enough super heroes around (especially when you are as clumsy as me).

Winter Wonderland a few Weeks ago

We woke up to a Winter Wonderland on the Island a couple of weeks ago. The boys were so excited, as it's one of the things (besides their friends) that they missed about the Prairies. We went for a walk, first thing after breakfast. This is at a small park behind our house.

Aidan had a ride in the sled, and seemed very intrigued by the white stuff, but even more excited about his brothers throwing snowballs.

Oh, those snowballs are next!

Kieran tasted the snowflakes, and claimed that they taste like Winnipeg - though James said they were a little salty.

Next stop - hot chocolate and cookies at home. Thankfully, the snow was here for Christmas making us feel right at home.

Barnyard Boy

Sometimes I'm afraid to say things like, "Aidan's getting better", because it seems like the words are no sooner out of my mouth, than he's sick again. I really hope the worst is over because it's hard to watch him (and hear him) struggling for breath. We were let out of the hospital 2 days ago, and Aidan has been recovering slowly. Poor little pumpkin muffin gets croup so easily - and he sounds just like a squeaky duck when he has it.

Speaking of ducks, I'm posting my favourite "barnyard" photos of him. He's getting good at saying "moo", "quack", and he pants like a puppy. The barn is one of his favourite toys.

My husband doesn't like that last photo because he said Aidan's head looks enormous and cartoonish - but I quite like it. He often looks up at us like that, and I love those blue eyes searching mine!

I love the determination in Aidan's body language - he is trying so hard to support himself, and he really is quite proud. It reminds me of the Friendly Giant.

Reflecting on Aidan's Heart

I'm remembering two Christmases ago and how we were so stressed waiting for Aidan's heart surgery. The most difficult part seemed to be keeping him away from people with colds. When we were invited to the Christmas party for the Variety Heart Centre - we couldn't say no (despite my germophobic tendencies at the time).

It turned out to be a nice evening, with a visit from Santa. The photo of Aidan was in the newspaper the next morning with a headline that read: All he wants for Christmas is a heart that is whole. James and I were excited to see the photo, but the headline was awfully depressing! This photo doesn't even look like Aidan to me - but it's him alright! He sat in Santa's arms for nearly 20 minutes while an embarrassing amount of photos were taken.

A week later, Leah, our cardiac nurse phoned to say Aidan's Christmas wish came true - we had a date set for the beginning of January to go to Edmonton for the surgery. We were so relieved. And you know what - it restored my belief in the power of Santa Claus!

I never thought of my boys as being "Prarie boys", but I guess they were until now! Just a week ago they were complaining that it never snows on Vancouver Island. I think my oldest was actually quite depressed at the thought of not being able to build snow forts and go tobogganing this year. Lucky for us, the snow came and came and came - the lads feel at home now.

These little men of mine have lived in every Canadian Province from Manitoba to British Columbia. I wonder how they will define themselves when they are no longer little. Will their Prairie memories be endearing to them? Will they come to think of themselves as West Coasters? So much to ponder on a Winter evening. . .

Life is good on a Winter Afternoon

Our littlest guy is eating again - hooray! It's been a tough two weeks since he got sick with Croup, was in hospital, and has been fighting fevers, cough, congestion, everything. Mealtime was so stressful because he was screaming bloody murder. But giving him nothing hurt too, because we could see the weight coming off of him, his chubby belly shrinking. That's not easy for a mom like me to watch. Now that he seems to have turned the corner and is accepting food without a fight, I'm sighing the sigh of a very relieved mommy.

Welcome family and friends!

This blog is dedicated to our life with 3 of the most amazing little billy goats - Kieran (7), Liam (5), and Aidan (2). Much like the old folk tale, our life is quite an adventure together. . . we have travelled to unknown lands (4 different Provinces in Canada) for education and work, we are a great team, and we avoid grumpy old trolls at all costs.