Before...

We're (finally) going to get our stairs and railing done...

Sledding towards the house...

...sounds unsafe...probably is...but we're careful and the girls love it!

Having fun

More snow=NO SCHOOL!

 Mother Nature blasted us overnight with more snow, so Maddie had a day off!  It was cold today (about -24 degrees and by the afternoon if was about -29 and WINDY!)  So we headed out first thing to get some fresh air.  This past week has been so cold and windy, it's been hard to be out very long and Maddie hasn't enjoyed any outdoor recess's because of the cold.  We played on our big hills for about an hour and a half, then the girls headed in to warm up and I had to get ourselves dug out.  I cleaned the roof first and then did the driveways.

 

 This kept us busy all day.  The girls are good to be inside alone, they were enjoying their "store" and some gymnastics.  I took a break for some lunch and we all went out again.  It was an all day adventure getting us dug out but we did it.  The sun was out, thankfully, but the wind was cold!  By far, the hardest winter we've had in many years! 

Some Saturday Fun!

 When the girls use my camera...these are the kinds of pictures I get...

 

 We have tonnes of snow so we spent the afternoon outside, enjoying winter!  Daddy blew our rink off again and the girls went sledding and we had a friend join us and the kids had a great time!!

 

And...almost the last one...

 

 My hubby texted me yesterday (silly boy...ha ha ha) to tell me he was going to be off today due to the extremely cold day that Mother Nature was throwing at us.  So, I decided to rip apart our bedroom floor so we could get our new floor put down...what a lovely wife I am...HA!!!  We transformed the living room into, what looked like a dump, we set up a makeshift bedroom downstairs for us and got to work!

 

I can't help much with the laying of the new floor because I have no desire to learn how to use a Miter Saw, so Miaya and I hung out making puzzles and building forts!  The temperature was reading at -34 degrees this am so I drove Maddie to the bus but then went for my walk, the air was fresh and it wasn't that bad out if you were dressed for it but I didn't venture out with Miaya, it's too cold for those little cheekies!

Never a dull moment...

 Daddy's days off are few and far between most weeks, so we try to be productive on the days he's here...So, Friday, I ripped up the hallway and got it all ready so today he could put the new floor down!

 

It turned out pretty darn great!  Just have to work on getting the trim on now!  And...we made yummy cupcakes and decorated them all pretty too!!  Miaya helped (Maddie was busy making bracelets) and we got some ready to take to my girlfriend tomorrow because it's her birthday!!!  We had a great indoor Sunday!  (It was super cold outside today!!!  Brrrrrr!!!)

WHOA...you're HOW old??!?!!??!!?

 HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG SISTER TODAY!!!  Looking pretty damn good sportin' (4-0) shhhh....I won't tell if you don't!

 
No matter what the day brings, I hope you are able to sit back, relax and enjoy a few cold Heineken's!  We wish you many many more years filled with great health, much happiness and wonderful memories...you deserve all of those things.  We hope those handsome boys of yours spoil you today!  And the next time we are together, the 1st drink is on me...Happy Birthday Kim!  Much Love, xoxo

Where has the time gone...

 Our littlest baby is growing too fast...Maddie brought all of the information home that is needed to register little Miss Miaya for Kindergarten next year.  A bittersweet day...she is super excited to go to "Maddie's school" and ride the bus with her big sister and as much as I love to watch our girls grow up, I wish it didn't have to happen so fast.  And when I told Maddie last week that the school was going to send the info home with her when it was ready, she said "Mom, does that make you sad?"  I answered (with a fake sniff sniff) and "A little."  She reassured me that they would both be fine, she has such a big heart.  So, when I opened up the package, their was a Kleenex inside.  Maddie told me she had shared our little moment with the secretary and they both decided that sending me a Kleenex might be a good idea...everyones a smarty pants!  For the next 8 months I will soak up every minute and enjoy our 3 year old.

A Beautiful morning

So after we got back from our walk, we got ready and headed to the lake!  Unfortunately our rink didn't fair out very well over the weekend with all of the rain we got.  We were down there yesterday cleaning all of the excess slush off but the wind didn't help overnight so its pretty yucky for skating right now...but perfect for Miaya!   

 I got her skates on and she did really well, she was balancing today and even more stable than before and she wants to GO and fast!  All in due time...After skating, Gramma Shirley joined us for a walk across the lake.  I love the sunshine in the winter, it's a beautiful combination of cool and warm all at the same time!  It's supposed to rain later so we stayed out and enjoyed as much as we could!
 

SUPER excited!!

 
Maddie got money for her birthday and she decided she wanted to buy her very own laptop!!  We are so proud of her!  I had been watching for deals and finally found one we thought would be suitable for our big saver!!  And when our mail lady called today to tell me she would be dropping it off, I knew she would be so happy!  So I opened it up, set it up, wrapped it up for her and we gave it to her after supper! 

 

We know she will take very good care of it because she is so careful with all of her things.

Snow day #2!!

 The temperature is still COLD and with the windchill is COLDER!!  So, buses were cancelled again today because we got dumped with snow again overnight and it has been blowing around all day!  Daddy attempted the drive to work, drove for 2 1/2 hours (where he ended up should have taken just about an hour normally) and got the call to turn around because the trucks wouldn't start due to the cold!  (Thank god because people who work outside should not have to be out when they say after 5 mins you are at risk for frostbite.)  We did venture out though and the roads were AWFUL!  Some snow drifts were at the middle of my door on the truck and you could barely see at times...

 

We made it home safe and sound though and the girls had a great day playing with lots of stuff.  Maddie even built the robot she got for Christmas!  A nice day to stay indoors!

BACK TO SCHOOL DAY!

 Not today!  WOW...talk about winter, we are getting it hard right now!  Buses were cancelled this am (and I didn't set Maddie's alarm because I assumed they would be.)  So, I headed outside before 7 am to clean some more snow and to get some of the snow off our roof.  The neighbour's must have thought I was crazy, out there with the sun barely up, scraping snow off the roof...freak...but it had to be done.  There is so much up there, some of the weight had to come off. (As I was looking at the pile of the white crap all over the deck/driveway, I cringed because now it has to be moved again!  Winter is beautiful, but sometimes it feels so un-rewarding!)  And with more snow expected today and tomorrow, it was a great way to start a Monday.  I headed in to get the sleepy heads up, we ate breakfast and then we all went outside!  The next couple of days are supposed to be FREEZING with the wind chill, so we better get some fresh air today.  The girls enjoyed some time on our huge mountain by the stairs, they use it for sledding on!  I did all the snow blowing/shovelling and we headed in at lunch time.  Maddie quite enjoyed her extra day off, we all did.  The girls set up a huge store and had some indoor fun.  I headed back out before supper to snow blow/shovel again, it was getting COLD...yikes!!  STAY WARM!!!