Toboganning

Family

The Torch Relay

I was so excited to learn that the torch relay was to come through London while we would be there. Since the winter Olympics are in Vancouver this winter it is very exciting for all Canadians to be part of the experience. We all braved the very, very cold day to head down to Victoria Park to see the torch arrive via Wellington Road where it would spend the Christmas holiday. The park was abuzz with excitement and anticipation for the momentous occasion. It was many years ago (can't remember how many) that I sat with friends to see the torch take that same route on way to the Calgary Olympics-it brought back many memories and made me feel very nostalgic for my hometown. There were zambonis, Olympic mascots, people all decked out in Canada gear, tons of flags and an overall deep feeling of Canadian pride down at the park on the coldest day of the season so far. Alex didn't seem to mind the cold at all but Jay and I definitely were not dressed for the weather and froze, luckily Sarah lives so close to the park and offered us some shelter and food to warm the soul. We got some cool pics of the kids holding the torches and I met tons of people because of the coat I had on, they all thought I worked for the relay and were asking directions etc. Haha.

Santa Visit 2009

We went for our annual sit on Santa's lap this year at jungle java early this morning. This absolutely hands down was the best way to do it and the best visit in Alex's three years. It was so relaxed and no lines whatsoever and it was a real Santa with a real beard and jolly old laugh. Then the bonus was we got to play for the rest of the morning on the Jungle Java playground. We invited Adrina to come along with us so Alex got to play with his best friend too!! This was the first time that Alex willingly sat on his lap and was not scared at all-he even told Santa that he wanted an electronic game-good thing too because this is the first time I had heard that usually he says he wants a Sponge Bob game.

Texas Stars Hockey Game

My friend gave us four tickets to the hockey game (good seats too) so we headed over to the new and beautiful arena last night to watch the game. They are a triple A team for the Dallas Stars so it was actually a really good game. We all had out jerseys on and had a great time watching the game. We even got 4 free hockey pucks on the way out to celebrate the inaugural year of the Texas Stars. This was Alex's second game and hopefully there will be lots more in his future.

Alex's School Party

I was the party mum for the Christmas party this year (with another mum) and we decided to do pasta, bread, veggies and cookies which was a huge hit. All the kids ate second helpings except for Alex who only seems to eat chicken nuggest, pizza, and peanut butter these days. They had a little concert before the lunch where they sang a few Christmas songs, Alex didn't really sing much but he sure did the actions well.

Making Cookies with Grandma

We were so lucky to have grandma Sandy visit us for five days while I was recovering from surgery. Alex got lots of one on one grandma time and they did lots of fun stuff together. This is them making and decorating gingerbread cookies. The picture of Grandma is taken by Alex himself who fancies himself a bit of a photographer these days so he is getting a camera for Christmas. The picture on the couch is them showing off their new haircuts together. Too cute. Thanks Grandma for taking such good care of Alexander.

Family Photo Time

We thought it was high time to get a professional photo of our little family done. We had Shauna Autry took our photos in San Gabriel Park and then a few back at our house. I think they turned out amazing. She did an awesome job. I didn't want the photos to look too posed or fake and she managed to capture us in our element. We hang out at that park all the time so Alex was very comfortable apart from the nasty geese that was chasing him when we first got there. We just hung out and she took photos. Here a few of the over 300 pictures she took. I highly recommend her and the price was extremely reasonable.

Good Times at the Christmas Stroll

The Georgetown Christmas Stroll this year was very cold so we watched the parade, did a quick walk around which included Alex on the courthouse steps screaming "this is my universe" and then we left. The parade was cute, the exact same as last year but Alex liked it because he got lots of candy.

More Pics

Here are just a few pictures of various activities we get up to during a regular week in Georgetown.

Having Fun at the Chuy's parade

The annual Chuy's parade was lots of fun this year. It is fun just going downtown Austin and doing something different. We met up with Jackie and Tyler this year which made it that much more fun. The parade is always just that little bit different (it is Austin after all) so we really like watching it. At about a half way point the parade stops and all the kids can run on the street and give their blue Santa presents in-it is really amazing to watch all the kids donate the gifts especially this year when so many more families are in need.