Christmastime's A Comin'

Well, after we got home from watching the loading of the boat last Friday, this little fisherman got a big box for his boat and a little one for his trap and he's played quite happily with them ever since. I think I need to sink the boat and get him a doctor`s kit for Christmas :)
We have the inside of our house all trimmed except for the tree. Everything is "pippy", especially the "ights" in his room. He is becoming aquainted with Santa already so we should be in for a fun time. I'll have some Christmasy pics soon.

Just 'cause I want to share this, I found this waiting for me the day I dug out the decorations:

My ever-thoughtful hubby had been away the week before and bought me a sweet little tree I'd commented on when I had seen it in the flyer, as well as a mega bag of chicken bones to help me keep up my stamina.
xoxo

Now, back to the boy. The owners of a fisheries company here have constructed a huge tree made out of lobster traps. It is lit with multi-colored lights and decorated with bouys. We have to drive by it everytime we go to the rink or the store. He LOVES it! We call it the trap tree. It, too, is very pippy.
He is learning to share really well, especially when one of us has something he wants. We are then reminded with a really big smile to "sare". He has also started saying "gelgum" after we say thank-you, and he's drinking so well from a big cup now.  We are up to reading about a half hour's worth of books at bedtime now, as well as several times throughout the day. He is filling in a couple of the words in a few of our regular rhyming books. He's learned a few letters and can count to four. He's also probably the only two-year-old who hollers "east" and shows two fingers (for 2T) when I get out the bread mixing bowl. He has a belt which he loves because its just like Brady's. He wears jeans a lot so he can wear his "belp".

He loves playing in the cupboards...

 

and wearing helmets...

and using the tape measure to "pelp" Sherman lay our new bathroom floor (his last renovation project for a while, which I REALLY, REALLY appreciate BTW. Thank-you, you're the best!).

 



 

 

I also want to shout out a big ol' CONGRATULATIONS to our other boy, who was awarded his silver standard in the Duke of Edinburgh program at the Legislature by the Lieutenant Governor a couple of weeks ago. We are so proud of you Brade! Well done!

 

Kerrin (also from GM) received her gold, Brady his silver.

 

Anyhoo, it will soon be time to start Christmas baking so that will keep us busy. We will be having a party at the play group we go to, the community tree lighting is next weekend, our church dinner and concert will be coming up as well as the GM Santa Claus parade etc., etc. It will be a busy and fun Christmas season I'm sure. I'll take lots of pictures. Stay tuned.

Deja vu, With a Twist

Fourteen years ago I stood on a wharf at 6:45 AM with a two year-old, watching his daddy's boat loaded up with traps take it's place among the fishing fleet in the harbour while they waited for 7:00 so they could head miles off-shore to set. Brady never missed a Setting Day after that.
Today I stood on the same wharf, again with a two year-old, watching the same man on the same trap-loaded boat, but also watching our now 16 year-old head out with his dad to help them set.
It's been blowing all week. They were supposed to set Tuesday but because of the constant wind, Setting Day had to be postponed until today. It's still rough out there and my heart is anxious. They will be home somewhere around 7-8:00 tonight. Tomorrow will begin long months for Sherman. I remember Brady crying when he was little because he hadn't seen daddy for close to two weeks. It will not be uncommon now for Sherman to leave home between 4-5 AM and not get home until 8-9 PM. It is long, hard, dangerous work.

 I pray God will bless the fishermen, that He will bring them home safely every night and bless the work of their hands.

Amen

Look who woke up for quick kiss good-bye before they left at 6:00.


 

On our way over to the wharf  to see the "boaps" off.

We went down again around 1:00 to watch them load the boat for the second trip. It was naptime so we didn't stay until they were finished.

 

 

Lots Of Pics

So, this was an exciting week! We took him to the rink for the first time this year. We watched Brady skate for a bit, and guess who wanted to skate? Sherman got him a little pair of skates and on went his little hockey helmet and off we went - sort of. He didn't really like putting his feet on the ice so it was more like Brady and then me skating, bent WAY over, holding this very heavy boy up with his feet off the ice. We also tried each holding one of his hands and going that way but he still really didn't want his feet on the ice. Brady had to pick him up and just skate around with him in his arms - which he loved!!! When Brady had to start getting ready for hockey, I tried with him again but he really just wanted me to do what Brady did but I'm not that good of a skater. Brady took him again before he got fully dressed and then we had to call it a night, after the zamboni finished of course. We'll keep at it though.

 

Tuesday we carved our pumpkin. I was a bit shocked that this boy who touches everything he sees (spiders, flies caught in spider webs, worms crawling on the pavement after a rain etc.) was kind of disgusted by the inside of the pumpkin and didn't even want to try touching it, not that I minded. He enjoyed watching me do my thing though and then loved looking inside after it was all cleaned out. He liked taking the pumpkin's "hat" off and then putting it back on. He hugged it and kissed it and wanted me to kiss it. He really didn't care for it when it was lit though.

 

 

 

 

We had a Halloween party to go this week. We've been going to a play group lately that meets on Wednesday mornings. This Wednesday was Halloween of course. So, we did some baking - lots of sugar cookies cut out with a bat-shaped cookie cutter. The party was great, lots of kids and food. I tried to take a pic before we went but again, if you try to pose him, he doesn't really like it. I did bribe him with a treat this time though. My friend Kim (Keely's mom) gave us a Peter Pan costume a few weeks ago which was so great since we weren't planning on doing any really serious trick-or-treating this year. Getting in and out of a carseat a few times is enough for one evening for a little boy who usually asks to go to bed around 6:30. Anyhoo, all the moms asked where I got his costume. He was a huge hit! They all loved it and made sure we knew it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left for trick-or-treating around 5:30. We went to a few houses - family and close friends. He quite enjoyed getting treats in his pumpkin bag. We also got another "welcome" gift while we were out and about. It was a good evening and he was home, tucked in and sleeping by 8:00. It was a great Halloween for all of us.