Hanna sings

So this may seems silly to you but believe it or not, when I start to sing (or we sing in meeting) Hanna looks up at us and smiles and starts to make noise. I think she is trying to imitate us singing. I have taken a couple of videos. Please excuse my pathetic singing. I don't know all the words to these songs and so I just hum or make up the words if I don't know it. Of course she is usually doing it better before I grab the phone to video it. Doesn't it sound funny when I say I grab my phone to take video. I actually take more photos and video on my phone than on a camera or video camera.

Mesmerized already

FisherPrice has a great little website with lots of online games. This is in the "infants section". Babies learn the connection between pressing a key and a cute little animal popping up. She loves to watch it. This was the second time taking her to this site and the first time I used her hand (tight little fist) to hit the space bar or enter key...whatever. But here she actually uncurled her fist and put her fingers on the keys. It won't be long until she makes the connection.

Hanna's new tub

I don't usually bath her in this but sometimes after her bath she gets to rinse off in this "spa" tub. She likes it. She is totally submerged and loves giving her hands a good chew.

New Years pictures

New Years Day - I made a turkey (first one in about 5 years) and it turned out....almost perfect. I followed the Martha Stewart turkey recipe from online which gave step by step instructions...almost dummy proof. The only problem with mine was that it didn't seem to brown and it was done about 2 hrs before out company arrived. We had Bradd, Nona and Jayne Anderson for supper. Bradd and Nona spent 3 months in Latvia at the convention grounds. So the two couples had lots to speak about and Bradd and Nona are just overflowing with joy. I remember that feeling when we came back from our trip there.
Special times with Grandpa Pihrag.

Fun with with kids over the holidays

Playing snakes and ladders with Ms. Hanna watching.

I will not post the pictures of the kids over the holidays - they decorated gingerbread men and cookies, played lots of games - both real and imaginary and they really enjoyed making "ghosts" that they could hang over the banister and scare Uncle Graham and Aunty Joey when they came over. They sure are growing up fast. Every stage is so precious.

Christmas Holidays 2011 - This is my first post

Well, it is way past Christmas now. Tomorrow is the last day of January. But I am slowly learning how to use this little blog program and with small chunks of time in my day, I get started and then I don't finish. So here is my first attempt.

I thought it would be nice to start a blog since I'm finding I send out quite a few e-mails with pictures and videos.

For those of you not familiar, "blog" might be a new term. I think of it as an online journal. I hope to use it to post updates (not daily) but perhaps weekly or as things come up.

So we had a lovely Christmas in Calgary. We had gorgeous weather and still are as a matter of a fact. We certainly can't complain. Joey and Graham and Shawn and I hosted our families. We were back and forth between the two houses quite a bit. The pictures (if I can figure out how to post more than one on one post) show the classic traditions at Christmas. Much fun family time was had by all. And of course, there was food and to spare.

Between Christmas and New Years, Tiara, Teija and Jaimen stayed with us. So we mostly played a home because I was a little overwhelmed taking 4 kids out by myself. I can barely handle one of my own out (little temperamental child we have :)). But one afternoon Shawn and Graham took the kids to the pool.

And New Years, Gma and Gpa Pihrag stayed with us and Graham and Joey and so we had a quieter New Years but lots of good family time all the same.