Fun Weekend & Big Scooting Violet!

Yes, Violet is a messy, big girl (she's popping out of her onesie - see?) But we'll get to that later!

Backing up, this was the last weekend before Mummy starts work (tomorrow!) so Daddy and her had a good one! Daddy took Friday off and they had lunch out at Bloor Street Diner (mmm, smoked salmon eggs benedict for Mummy, bbq pulled pork for Daddy) and then did some shopping at Banana Republic, and watched "True Grit" at the movies! A great way to end the last maternity leave for Mummy!

Then on Saturday, we had music class in the morning, followed by our usual stop at Tim Horton's, and playtime in the afternoon. Mummy and Daddy then went out AGAIN, this time for a "winterlicious" dinner, and to see Aunt Holly and Guy - he was doing his first-ever gig with his band at a coffee shop! Guy was the lead singer, and was very good in their reggage vibe set! The night ended at another pub downtown for Daddy's friend's birthday - a late night!

And then an early morning! Vila and I got up at 6am, and had some cranberry crunchies that Mummy made for breakfast, and of course I had my gym class later on. Playtime outside this afternoon, and then turkey chili for dinner. Here's a pic of me after dinner in Daddy's hat -no reason, but just because!

Finally, since Violet's birhtday is only a week away now, we thought we should show you all how Violet is moving now.....she is quite the active girl, more than I was at her age! She seems to be a little more "aggressive" and outgoing/curious than I was at this time......she gets into every cupboard and pulls on every wire! Mummy and Daddy are constantly dragging her away from things she shouldn't touch - I think they may actually have to babyproof this time around! The pic at the top of this post is after her messy dinner when she was scooting on the floor. And scroll below for a video of her unique scooting technique - she uses her legs and not her hands like I used to do!

Hope you all had a good weekend too - and good luck Mummy at work tomorrow! See you at 530pm as usual Mummy, we still get your mornings and nights, and weekends! xoxo Love Audrey & Violet

Violet's FIRST Day Of Daycare!

Today was a HUGE milestone......Violet had her first day of daycare with me! Mummy was a lot less nervous knowing that I would be there with Violet, but it still was a scary day. At first, Violet seemed happy this morning, and was smiling on the couch looking outside!

But then, she seemed to sense something was going on and as Mummy went to take pictures of us on the couch to mark the occasion, Violet started to get nervous. I tried to calm her by leaning in for a kiss.

Violet then got really upset and started to twist and turn and cry. I tried to hold her hand and laugh with her, but she still kept squirming!

Then we left for Erin's house, and the day started! Mummy stayed with us for a little while, and when she left, Violet was being put down for her first nap, and I started to cry!!! All of Violet's tears had made me tear up! Mummy called later and Violet was still crying lots, and wouldn't eat or drink her bottle, but after her second nap, she had a much better afternoon!!! As for me, I was a bit of a whiny and crying sister today ---- I call it my "empathy" crying for my little sis because I care about her so much too!

In any case, when Daddy picked us up tonight, we were in a good mood. So day one is done, and the transition should start going easier. Violet, don't worry, we have lots of fun at daycare....and then we go home and have even more fun!!!! I'll take care of you and be your friend wherever you are ----- good job today Violet, and here's to tomorrow! Love Audrey xoxoxo

Mummy's Last Day At Home With Vila!

Today was Mummy's last day at home with Violet as she's coming to daycare with me next week! This is the LAST day ever that Mummy will be spending at home with a baby on mat leave ---- wow!!! So to commemorate this day, here is a picture of Mummy and Violet snuggling on the couch (timer photo that Mummy took on her good camera!), and this is a recap of the final mat leave day at home with Violet. It will be something to remember many years from now when Mummy wants to remember her mat leave days!

This morning, Vila had a breakfast of plain toast and some cut up orange segments, as well as her bottle of course! Then we SKYPED with Grandma, Grandpa, Chachu, Chachi and Jackson in Atlanta - it was Grandpa's birthday! Happy Birthday again Grandpa!!! Don't make a mess with your cake today!

Then Vila played a bit and it was time for a long morning nap. When she woke up, Mummy gave her lunch of avocado, yogurt, some pears and tried to give her some shake 'n bake chicken but she didn't like it!

Then it was off to get Mummy's driver license renewed, and her vehicle plate sticker.....plus she needed an emissions test on her car. It took an hour and a half to get the emissions test, so Mummy and Violet walked around Canadian Tire (Violet was being very cute and chatty), and sat in Starbucks too. Just as Violet was getting really unruly, the car was ready! On the way out of Starbucks, Violet and Mummy ran into Derrick Selby from Cityline (makeup artist on their makeover shows!) and they chatted - he was very nice and said Violet had nice eyes!

After her afternoon nap at home, Mummy grabbed Violet and took her out AGAIN to go to the eye doctor for a checkup (Mummy's eyes are fine!) and looked at a couple stores for dresses for Violet's birthday. But she couldn't find anything, and Violet was getting cranky (Mummy pushed her luck with a second outing in one day!), so they went home.

She had a bit more play time in the living room, scooting around to the bookcase and trying to open the tv cabinet door, and then I came home!!! We giggled, and had some crazy dance time in the kitchen while Mummy cooked a dinner of egg frittata and baked beans. Check out our crazy dancing below in the video! Violet was REALLY having fun!

After dinner, Violet basically had to go to bed - she had a bath, got her hair washed (she hated it!), then her bottle, book and bed. Nighty nite Violet - sounds like you had a full day with Mummy. But I'm excited to have you join me next week at daycare!!!! I'll show you the ropes and be your best friend as usual! xoxo Audrey

Pretty Princess

Mummy bought me new headbands with bows, and some starry necklaces and bracelets! Look at me, just like a pretty princess! xoxo Princess Audrey

We Play On Golden Globes Day!

On Sunday, it was one of Mummy's favourite days of the year......the Golden Globes Awards! And this was Violet's first experience with Mummy's award show obsession - but unfortunately for her, her bedtime is a little early to be sitting up and watching the whole show! Actually, I was in bed before the show too - but we know in years to come, Mummy will love hanging out with us and watching the show together!

So to celebrate this special day, me and Violet played very cutely together! Check us out above, and below. Violet loves to try and "hug" me, which sometimes ends up being more of a tackle! I find it pretty funny most of the time.

And Violet also displayed her amazing brute strength - lifting up the shopping cart! First, she STRETCHED to get it (almost looks like she is going to crawl, doesn't it?! Go Violet - crawl!!!) She is always trying to overthrow it - she likes to test her upper-body strength! Now she just needs to get her lower-body strength to match it, and before you know it, we'll be chasing her everywhere!

Finally, a couple of funny photos - Vila with her cutie-pie grin, and me with my shifty eyes (being a rascal and pretending to ignore Mummy)!

So hope you all had a Happy Golden Globes day on Sunday like we did - and now it's countdown to the Oscars....oh, and of course, a countdown to a VERY special day, Violet's birthday soon! Have I mentioned that yet? Mmmmm, cake is soon to come! Love Audrey & Violet xoxoxo

Silly Dancing!

Violet and I love to dance - and what better time to do it then when Nanny and Gramps are visiting! I started doing a really funny "bouncy" dance, and Vila was watching in her excersaucer.....she got so excited at one point that she jumped up and down really really fast (we didn't get THAT on video, but she does rock back and forth a bit here!)

Enjoy - there's a couple videos of us, courtesy of Nanny's camera!

Love Audrey & Violet xoxo

Happy 11 Months Violet!

Violet turned 11 months old this past Friday!!! And to celebrate the moment, we recreated the scene from my 11 month birthday - standing in the crib! Violet is doing pretty well at standing now, although she isn't cruising or anything yet. She still likes to sit on the floor and rock back and forth, or spin around, most of the time. Somehow, she is able to use that to find her way to wherever she wants to be, which these days usually involves the fridge and my farm magnets!

What else is new to our Violet? Well, she's doing some great waving now! We wave at her and she does her crazy wave back - we'll have to try and get it on video for everyone! And she really is eating lots of stuff by herself now - last night we had turkey and sweet potato fries, and Violet ate more than I did!

She's also getting a molar - and so she seems to be waking up more at night lately, but Mummy and Daddy have been giving her good medicine to get through it. Vila is getting so many teeth, her smile is super cute....whether it's her "nosy" smile above, or her "pretty" smile below!

We also just started music class together this past Saturday, and pretty soon, Violet will be joining me at daycare! I will have so much fun with her there, and I'm sure she'll like having me there too! Lately, whenever I enter a room, Violet looks over and smiles, and when she's on her change pad upstairs, she thrashes her head about in excitement to get a good look at me! I love you too Violet! You're a great little sis - sometimes a little aggressive in trying to hug me, or play with my toys - but I know you're still little and learning how to do things properly!

So happy 11 months Vilee - we're counting down to your birthday and CAKE now!!!! Mmmmmmmm....Love Audrey xoxoxo

Fun with Friends!

Today we had a New Year's afternoon playdate/dinner with our friends Cathy and Ryan and Jack, and Nee and Dave and McKenna! We had a yummy enchildada dinner with guacamole, and the best part, a yummy whipped-cream and chocolate cookie dessert - I got a whole piece to myself! Which might have been why I was super excited to play with everyone after dinner!!! We chased each other around, hugged, put our hands up, made silly screaming noises, held hands, and even Violet was bouncing around on the floor laughing at us all! Here are some pics from our silly afternoon - so many good ones, that Mummy posted most of them!

We hope everyone else had a good first day of 2011 too!!! Love Audrey & Violet xoxo

Happy New Year 2011!

Hey Everyone - Cheers! Mummy had champagne, and I had my milk last night! And with a new year, comes a new style! Here's my new haircut I got yesterday - love my new bob, no more ponies for me for a while! Then we went to the park and had "chocolate hot" at Starbucks, and a yummy salmon dinner that even Violet liked! We ended the day with watching some hockey with Daddy and doing my "goal, go Canada go" dance! What a great last day of 2010 for us.

And 2010 was such a great YEAR for us, mainly because my sister Violet arrived! I know 2011 will be great because we'll have lots of fun together, and fun for Mummy and Daddy too. Vila and I also wish lots of tickles, giggles, fun and good times for Grandma and Grandpa in Ottawa; Nanny and Gramps in Burlington; Holly and Guy in Toronto; Chachu, Chachi & baby Jackson in Atlanta; and to all our friends and family all over the world (a special shout out to our Chicago family, including new baby Kabir - hi little cousin, welcome to the world! xoxoxo)

Love you all and wish you the best for 2011, Audrey & Violet (cheers again, but Violet is too little to cheers, so she just smiles!!)