Christmas Day - Hourly Photo Style

A few years ago, Andrea, over at A Peek Inside The Fishbowl started a Christmas Day Hourly Photo Challenge.  As someone who LOVES to take photos, I jumped on the chance to join in.  The idea is to take a picture every hour on the hour of what you are doing at that moment and then upload them to share you day.  I don't take the time to blog the pictures during the day, but I do post them to my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  And now, here they are, blog style!

9:00am - Let's get this party started!!  (Yes, Liam slept in until 9:00am!  But only because I kept him up until almost 10:00pm the night before!)

10:00am  (part 1) Good bye old pots, we've had a wonderful 15 years together but it is time you move on.  It is not good bye forever, you will now be our camping pots.

10:00am (part 2) Hello new pots!  You look so nick hanging on my wall!  Can't wait to get to know you!  Thanks Henry!!  :) 

11:00am  Turkey, get in the oven!  

12:00pm  Building ramps for the remote control monster truck that Santa brought!  I think Liam may grow up to be an architect or engineer.  He is always building stuff out of whatever he can find to build with!

1:00pm  Time to start decorating the birthday cake.  After five years of this I still can't believe that Liam was born on Christmas!!  

2:00pm  Still decorating the birthday cake.  And watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix.  

3:00pm (part 1) The cake is finished!!  For those of you who are NASCAR fans, you will know what it is, but for the rest of you, it is Danica Partick's number, she is Liam's favorite drive.  Because she is a girl and she's hot . . . yes, that really is what he say.

3:00pm (part 2)  Cake decorating mess has overtaken the kitchen.  Where is that clean up elf that I asked Santa for?

3:00pm (part 3) Building a Mega Blocks World of Warcraft dragon. 

4:00pm  Finally a chance to sit down and relax with a glass of wine and the Dr. Who marathon on Space.

5:00pm - Turkey's done.  Let's eat!

6:00pm  Birthday cake time!

7:00pm  Birthday and Christmas presents from Gabba and Aunties!

8:00pm  Kitten cuddles!

9:00pm Dr.Who Christmas Special!!!  (This is not a picture from the Christmas Special.  I was so excited to watch it that I forgot to take a picture!  This is a scene from the 50th Anniversary Special.)

10:00pm  The wine is almost gone and Dr. Who is almost over.  That means it is almost bedtime for this sleepy mommy!!

11:00pm  One last peek at my Christmas Birthday Boy!  And then off to bed!!

Christmas and a Birthday - Hourly Photo and Instagram Style

Christmas Day - Hourly Photo and Instagram Style

8:00am - Opening Presents from Santa.

9:00am - Playing with presents!

10:00am - Getting organized to go to my Nana's house and then my parent's house.

11:00am - Silly Birthday Boy on his way to Grandma and Grandpa's.

12:00pm - At my Nana's house for Christmas lunch.

1:00pm - My Dad carving the turkey.

2:00pm - Dessert time! So many choices.

3:00pm - Time for presents!

4:00pm - Arriving at Mom and Dad's house.

5:00pm - Relaxing at my parent's house.

6:00pm - Lego building, a great way to pass time until dinner!

7:00pm - Time for Birthday Cake!  Happy Birthday Liam!  (Liam turned 4 at 7:02pm)

8:00pm - My brother, Quinten, modeling the new hunting apron that mom made him.

9:00pm - Driving home.  Too dark for a real photo!

10:00pm - Taking inventory of Liam's gifts so he can write thank you notes!

11:00pm - Admiring the quilt my mom made for Liam.  She also made him a tote bag filled with activity books!  Awesome!

12:00am - Good night and Merry Christmas!

Where Does Time Go?

It has been almost 2 months since I have written a blog post here.  How is that possible?  As the days, weeks, months, years go on it seems as though time just keeps going faster and faster.  Sometimes I wish I would just slow down but I know that's not going to happen.  I do know that I need to learn to make more time for the things that are important to me . . . writing, scrapbooking, reading are a few things that come to mind.  However, making more time for the "me" things is a work in progress.  In the mean time, here's what's been keeping me busy and away from the blog for the past two months.

I started a new position at work.  I am now Acting Supervisor of our preschool building.  Although it took me just about as far away from my comfort zone as I could possibly get, it has been a welcome change.  There have been lots of new challenges and I am learning a lot.  As of right now, it is a temporary position and we have no idea how long it may last but I am going to enjoy it while it does and take the opportunity to learn everything I can about the job so that I can do it again if the need arises.

The whole family got together for a BBQ at my parents place for Mother's Day.  With my youngest brother in college in Lindsey, my youngest sister going to college and working in Peterbourgh, my other brother doing shift work as a firefighter, my other sister only having her son every other week, and us living almost 2 hours form my parents, this doesn't happen very often.

We all had a great time and there was even a family game of monkey in the middle with a football.  Give that I am very uncoordinated and as athletic as a stick, I choose to stay on the side line and take pictures!

As always, I spent a weekend (and lots of time before the weekend) helping with the New Moon Rabbit Rescue garage and bake sale.  Although it was a long, busy and exhausting weekend, it was a hue success.

Then came gardening!  Well, gardening started with that week of unseasonably warm weather we had in March, but in May I planted the vegetable garden which means much more time is spend playing in the dirt!  You can read all about my gardening adventures (and see lots of photos) on my gardening blog, My Almost Green Thumb.

We spent a weekend camping in June.  Henry and I have loved camping since before we were married. Liam loves anything that he can do outside, loves fishing and going to the beach.  Camping is a perfect little get away for us.  We enjoyed the weekend at Fitzroy Provincial Park and are looking forward to get out and doing some more camping this summer.

We celebrated Liam's birthday.  Christmas is far too busy to fit in a birthday party, so we opted to do a half birthday party for Liam this year.  We had a BBQ, hung out outside and it gives him a chance to get summer presents.  

It has been a fun and busy start to the summer.  And I expect it to stay that way!  We have lots of things we want to do around here (build a new shed, expand a flower garden, put in a shade garden . . .) and I am sure there will be lots of picnics and trips to the beach and other fun stuff.

Christmas in Photos

I couldn't help but do one more post of Christmas photos!  I love taking photos and can never find enough places and ways to share them!

Christmas And A Birthday - December 25, 2011

Our new Christmas Eve tradition, baking and decorating sugar cookies for Santa!

"I told Santa I wanted a train set . . . and he brought me one!"

"What did you get Daddy?"

After the gifts were opened, Liam played with EVERYTHING he got!!  He was a happy boy!

A Christmas Day Birthday Boy means birthday cake for Christmas dinner!

Blowing out the candles!

Showing off his goofy smile and his daycare birthday crown.

"No, I'm not tired.  I want to stay up and play, really, I'm good!"

Christmas Part 2 At Grandpa J and Grandma L's House - 

December 27, 2011

Liam and Grandpa J.  Liam sat at the table with his Great Grandparents and ate lunch like such a little man.  Made mommy very proud!

Playing air hockey with cousin Denver.

Playing air hockey with Aunty Danny.

Aunty Danny and her boys, Denver and Liam.

"More presents!!  Awesome!"

"Thanks Aunty Teanna and Denver, now I can be a rock star!!"

"Is this a reindeer?"

Hanging out with Uncle Matt.