Bowling

Yesterday, Mommy and Daddy took our whole family bowling then out for dinner. I've never gone bowling before so I wasn't really sure what to do. The first ball I wanted to throw all by myself. Here's what happened.



I guess my arms aren't strong enough. I did a lot of dancing waiting for the ball to hit the pins but it never made it to the end. The bowling alley man had to get my ball out of the way. After that, I had Daddy and Mommy help me and it worked much better.



Bowling is lots of fun but you sure need big muscles to lift and throw the balls. Next time Mommy says we will try 5-pin bowling because it will be easier for me.

100 Pieces

Here I am playing with one of my new toys. It's a big puzzle with a yellow city bus. I love doing puzzles and this one has more pieces than any of my other puzzles. It's 100 pieces!


We did it! I needed a little help the first time so Mommy did all the outside parts and I did all the inside pieces. Next time I'm going to try and do it all by myself.

Christmas Day

Today is Christmas Day! I was so excited when I woke up that I wanted to run downstairs right away to see if Santa came. The living room is dark though and Mommy and Daddy were still sleeping so I had to wake them up. When I FINALLY got them out of bed, I ran downstairs, got the stool from the bathroom (to reach my stocking), then dashed into the living room. Under my bulging stocking there was a BIG, gold and shiny present from Santa. Do you think he found a red bus in his workshop? No, it was an articulated bus! How did he know that I need one of those?


Santa left even more buses in my stocking. I got a wooden, yellow bus just like the one I saw in the Kids' Market yesterday and I also got a new, red, automatic Bertie. Santa was very nice to me.


After opening my stocking, we all went to Grandpa's house for breakfast and more presents. I was very excited to open gifts from all my aunties and uncles. Grandpa made eggs, biscuits, fruit salad and sausages and we HAD to eat breakfast and take a family picture before we were allowed to open anything. It took forever! Finally it was time to open our gifts. There was wrapping paper everywhere. I got so many nice gifts from everyone.


I played for a little while at Grandpa's house but then started to get tired. It's been a busy couple of days. Mommy and Daddy took me home and I went for a long nap. When I woke up, there were still more gifts to open from all my friends. Lots more buses and a really cool one that's a book that opens up to become a bus I can sit in.


Soon we were back in the car again going back to Grandpa's house for dinner. There's been a lot of driving around today. As usual, there was a lot of food on the table and we had a nice full-circle dinner.


Christmas has been a very exciting day. I got lots of buses this year and I think the buses will have to have a meeting so they can meet my new ones. Mommy tells me that tomorrow we are going to stay home. I can't wait to play with all my new toys.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and I'm trying really hard to be good today. Mommy had lots of errands to run and I don't like doing errands so it's been hard but I'm trying.

First we went to Granville Island to buy some stuff for the big party at Grandpa's house. Mommy promised I could eat a croissant and go to the Kids' Market if we got her errands done quickly. I cooperated so we were really quick with all the shopping. We got my favourite, a chocolate croissant from the bread store, then headed over to the Kids' Market. It was so sunny this morning so I played outside on the tugboat for a little while, then we checked out all the toy stores. We were just about to leave when I heard jingle bells. Guess who came down the stairs and asked ME to help him! Santa!


Santa asked me if I'd help him ring the bells to round up all the kids in the Market. We went up and down all the hallways looking for other kids. We found a few and they followed Santa and me upstairs to his special corner. There, Santa sang songs with us and read us some stories. After that, I was the first one to sit on his knee and I finally told him I'd like a red bus. He wasn't sure if there were any red buses in the workshop as most of the ones the elves make are yellow but he said he'd see what he can do.

After Granville Island, I was feeling pretty cold so Mommy took me home and gave me a nice, hot shower to warm me up. Daddy came home from work early then we all went to Granpa's house to get ready for the party.

Mommy and Daddy had lots of cooking to do for the party but there were lots of people around to keep me busy. Aunty Karen and Uncle Hanson were there from London and Uncle Brian came from Kamloops. Then all sorts of aunties and uncles started arriving. Here are a few pictures I took of them.



The party was fun. I got to eat fancy crackers in the living room then I sat at the old people's table while they ate dinner. I was too excited to eat my supper and I didn't like the food anyways. Good thing Mommy brought some kitchri for me.

After dinner, we sang songs. "12 Days of Christmas" was really funny. I sang "five golden rings" but I couldn't figure out why everyone was standing up and sitting down. They looked funny. I helped Uncle Brian play the piano and I did a little drumming too.


It was pretty late when we had to go home. Mommy was worried that we wouldn't get me into bed before Santa came but before I could sleep I had to put out some cookies and milk for Santa. He asked me to leave some carrots for the reindeer too so good thing Mommy remembered to buy some carrots.


I wonder if Santa found a red bus in his workshop.

One More Sleep

I got a little confused this morning. I thought Santa came down our chimney last night.

I woke up early today and while Daddy was in the shower and Mommy was still sleeping I went downstairs to check my stocking. By myself I'm a little too short to reach my stocking but I figured out that with the bathroom stool, I'm just the right height. Guess what! There was something in my stocking. It was a black lump wrapped up in a kleenex. Santa's not very good a wrapping things nicely. I hope this isn't the lump of coal Mommy told me about. No bus though. I was really disappointed.

Mommy told me that because it's usually the first year that kids my age know what to do, sometimes Santa checks on 3 year olds a little before Christmas to make sure they are going to bed on time and are being good. Mommy said he must have checked on me last night and since I was asleep by 8:00 and I was good all day he left me a piece of chocolate.

I'm going to try and be good for the rest of today and get to bed early again. Tonight, I hope Santa brings me a red bus.

----------

Note: Joy put a few things into Avi's stocking early. He didn't think Avi could reach his stocking. From now on, we'll have to wait until Avi is fully asleep on Christmas Eve and Joy will have to make sure he wraps his gifts a little better.

Since chocolate is one of Avi's favourite foods, I'm VERY surprised he didn't recognize the "black lump" as a piece of dark chocolate. He really must have been worried about getting a lump of coal in his stocking.

Bus Bauble

I've got a new bus! Uncle Dick and Aunty Lucy found a new one. I don't have a school bus bauble and there was one attached to the top of the Christmas gift they gave to me last night. I picked a special place on my tree for it (right in the middle) so I can see it every time I walk by. I love it! Thanks Uncle Dick and Aunty Lucy!

"I Love Bugs"

Just strumming along to some Bobs and Lolo.



Sorry for the gap in the video. Mommy took it with her camera so she ran out of time and had to paste two movies together. Maybe I should get her a new camera for Christmas.

Bobs & Lolo

This is Bobs and Lolo. Bobs has the red hair and Lolo has the curly hair. They sing fun kids songs about animals, playing and the environment. I love them!


They are singing down at Canada Place this week so Mommy took me to watch their concert this morning. I sat in the front row with my friends Marissa and Aiden and we danced, sang and clapped along with them. They had three different concerts and we stayed for two.

Santa was also at Canada Place so I visited with him but didn't know what to say when I finally got to sit on his lap. I know I want another bus but I'm kind of shy to tell Santa. That's OK. Mommy said we could write him a letter and put it in the giant mail box on our way home. She helped me with the writing.

On our way out, we saw some pretty window displays and also stopped for a train ride on the West Coast Mini Rail. Then it was time for a real train ride when Mommy and I took the skytrain then the bus home.

I had a fun day and since we don't have anything to do on Wednesday, Mommy said she might take me back again. I hope she does!

Run, run, as fast as you can...

Polar Express is one of my favourite movies. Uncle Praveen gave it to me last year and I watch it all the time. Today, Mommy and Daddy took me downtown to see it at the IMAX theatre. I've only been to the movies once before so this was an adventure. When we gave out tickets to the man in the theatre, he gave me some humungous glasses to wear. I didn't get glasses last time I went to the movies.


At first, I didn't want to wear my glasses. Don't they know, I already have glasses! Mommy told me the new glasses will make the train pop off the screen. Wow! It did! The train almost hit me a couple of times. It was fun!


After the movie, we went to the Hyatt hotel to see the gingerbread houses. My favourite is the "Small World" house, Mommy likes the igloo on the globe house and Daddy likes the Canadian Pacific house.

Look at me! I'm a gingerbread man!


Not a very fast one though.

Garland for My Little Tree

Mommy and I made a popcorn garland for my little tree this afternoon. It was hard to not eat the popcorn. Mommy ended up having to make an extra batch of popcorn just for me to eat and I finished most of it myself. Mmmmm popcorn!

Little Tree

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! Today is December 6th and there are still lots of days to go before Christmas comes. I know because every day I've been opening one of the doors on the advent calendar that Aunty Tosh gave to me.

Mommy and Daddy pulled out the big tree on the weekend and this year they said I can have my own little tree. I've collected lots of my own ornaments and this year I have my own special tree to put them on. So far, I have two london busses, a slipper and a gingerbread man that I made, three nutcrackers, a tiny christmas stocking that Mommy knitted for me and a doggy on a skateboard that my friend Deborah gave to me. Mommy bought me a couple boxes of tiny baubles so I have lots of stuff to hang on my tree.


Today Mommy put together my tree. She helped me with the lights and garland then I put on the baubles. I also made a blue angel and school today so that will be added to the top of the tree. I think it's a beautiful little tree.

Christmas Fun

I had so much fun today! Mommy and Aunty Melodie organized a great holiday party for Mount Pleasant Family Centre. There were so many people (Mommy counted over 200 kids and 90 adults) and it was a little crazy but that made it lots of fun too.

Here I am colouring. I like blue and tried to use as many different kinds of blue as possible on my picture.


Here Anne is drawing a yellow school bus on my cheek. Mommy wanted to wash it off tonight but I wouldn't let her.


Here's the cookie I decorated. It was really yummy, especially the M&Ms.


Here I am with Santa Claus. He was really nice and gave me some chocolate and a handstamp.


Wait! There was more! Some puppets came and told us a story about a gunnywolf who tried to eat a girl. We saved the girl by singing Jingle Bells. Our song made the gunnywolf fall asleep and the girl was able to run back to her granny's house.


After the puppet show was the best part of all. Bobs & Lolo came to sing. They were so much fun. I danced with them the entire time! Mommy says they will be at Canada Place next week so I hope we can see them again. They're my new favourite singers. I'm going to get Mommy to play the CDs she bought from them all day tomorrow.


So, that was just my morning. After the party, Grandpa drove me to school while Mommy cleaned up. Then, after school Mommy picked me up and Mommy, Daddy, me, Aunty Melodie, Marissa and Aiden went to Stanley Park to ride the train and see the lights.


The lights were beautiful and I got to sit right behind the engine. I really, really like it and didn't want to leave even when Mommy and Daddy said it was time to go home.


I had a lot of fun today and Mommy says this is just the beginning of our Christmas celebrations. I think this month will be full of fun things to do.

Go Bananas!

Yesterday was so much fun! Mommy took me to Go Bananas in Richmond!


My friends Marissa and Aiden were there too and we climbed, ran, slid, rolled, jumped, and laughed all morning.


I made Mommy climb through everything with me so she was pretty tired when we left. Not me, could have stayed there all day!