Decade in Review

Unbelievable that it is now 2010. Seems like just yesterday we were all panicked about Y2K. A lot happens in ten years; some highlights of the past decade:

2000: Can't remember that far back!

2001: Bought our first little 960 sq.ft bungalow in Mount Pleasant

2002: Todd went out on his own

2003: Miss Emily was born

2004: I'm sure there was something.....

2005: We discovered that Emily needed eye glasses

2006: Mr. Liam was born; Oilers make it to the Stanley Cup final

2007: I joined a new company after being with another organization for almost 9 years

2008: Moved our bungalow off the lot and began building our new house; Emily had eye surgery

2009: Moved into our new house that Todd designed

What will the next 10 years bring??

Happy New Year!

I think New Year's is a bit overrated, so rather than staying in Calgary we headed to Radium, BC. I have fond memories of Radium from when I was a kid. Todd thinks it's because it's a "Meca for Polish people." True, there seems to be a lot of Eastern Europeans. Nevertheless, I wanted Emily and Liam to experience the hot springs and enjoy New Year's as a family.

McSteamy and kids

Frozen Lifeguard Chair

Family of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Happy New Year!

Santa Came!

What a crazy wonderful few days! Christmas has come and gone, but the memories will remain. Emily and Liam are at the perfect age for the magic of Christmas. Emily was so excited Christmas morning that she was up at 1:00 a.m. because she swore she heard Santa cough. She finally fell asleep around 3:00 a.m. and Liam woke her up at 8:20 a.m. Down the stairs they ran to the living room and presents under the tree. Mine and Todd's parents were here as well which was a great treat, having both sets of grandparents Christmas morning. We then headed over to Todd's sister's house for Christmas day dinner.

Boxing Day was pretty casual, but busy. We spent most of the day outside; Todd starting up his Christmas present (a chainsaw), tobogganing (before having a couple of accidents), skating on the community outdoor ice rink and finally Zoo Lights with friends. Todd and I are both off work this week, so we're enjoying time with the kids.

Christmas morning meyhem

New Oilers toque

Wolverine - a gift from Santa

Indoor climbing wall - Todd and Dzadzu put it up Christmas Eve. What kids have their own climbing wall?!

Christmas Day dinner

Cheers!

Family face-off

Zoo Lights

Hayhead at Zoo Lights

Merry Christmas!

Busy Time of Year

It's that time of year where you try to fit everything in - last minute shopping, family visits, dance recitals, school Christmas concerts and of course some playtime.

This past week Emily had her grade 1 Christmas party. Her class did a ribbon dance to a song that the grade 2s sang. It was cute to see her concentrate and take the dance quite seriously. She feels confident and fits in at the school so it's cute to watch her interact with kids, teachers and parents.

On Saturday she had her two dance recitals - jazz and ballet. Again very cute to watch her enthusiasm.

Then off to visit Todd's oldest brother and his family. We won't get a chance to see them over the holidays so we spent a couple of days with them. Emily and Liam love their cousins so they were very good kids.

In sync with her jazz dance friend

Switching gears to ballet

Oilers vs. Ovechkin

Liam, Emily and Boston

Getting some fresh cold air

Moving On Up...to the 35th Floor

My work colleagues and I moved buildings last week. We are now in the tallest building in Calgary (at least until the Bow is complete) and on the 35th floor. Apparently during strong winds, you can feel the building sway.

View from my office window

Party #3

Liam had his preschool Christmas party yesterday. Emily had the afternoon off so was able to come along. As they were doing a craft, she exclaimed, "Preschool is awesome!" She was there two years ago and felt right at home.

Singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Watching the teachers' play - "Goldy Locks and the Two Bears"

Christmas snack with the posse

The Parties Continue

We took Emily and Liam to my company's Kids' Christmas party yesterday and then to the Hitmen hockey game. It was the 15th annual Teddy Bear Toss so the kids each brought a stuffy to throw onto the ice after the first Hitmen goal. During last year's game, they collected 22,000+ bears for needy children. The goal came in the 2nd period and we left right after that. Too cold and tired to stay out.

Two Christmas reindeer

Teddy Bear Toss