A Princess and 4 Boys

Goodbye Zac Efron hair and hello Jacob Black hair. Love the new haircut Jonathan. You look very handsome!

Please don't mistake this for your 7 year old son...it is in fact mine. I know it can be confusing since we haven't seen their faces since they got a DS in their posession but believe me when I tell you that this one is mine because he comes up for air when it is allowance day.

http://www.noahsarkworkshop.com/colleenrossnagel5606 Please check it out. Pretty cool stuff.

Ok so it is the day after my surgery and I am at Lasik for my 24 hour appointment. I had no pain at all last night. My eyes were clear than blurry then clear again but I had no discomfort. I had a ridiculous eye drop routine yesterday but I am so satisfied with the results. I keep reading things in awe without my glasses. Best decision ever.

Take a good look at me in glasses as this is the last time you will see it. I go in for laser eye surgery tomorrow to correct my vision. I can't wait. I do not remember a time when I didn't wear glasses. I will keep you posted on how it all goes. Wish me luck.

I can't believe how big lil' Owie is geting. He refuses to sit in his highchair anymore so I had to go out and buy him a booster seat. Sigh ... he is talking up a storm right now.

So Jon has started swimming classes and they are going great...I have a bit of an issue though because he is a boy and I am a girl so I can not take him into my changing room. It is very stressful to wait out of the room and waiting for him. So the first time, Boris went with him and showed him how to work the locker and where to go. Tuesday, when we went it was just him and I, so I gave him 50 cents and went to meet him at the pool. It was only a few minutes and he happily met me at the swimming pool and handed me his towel and key. PERFECT. Class was over and so he went to the change room and I went to wait in the foyer. 15 minutes later and still no Jonathan. Luckily Susan from work was there with her two children and she sent her son to check on Jonny. He said Jon was fine and they left...another 10 minutes later, Jon came out stating: "DAMM Lockers". HAHAHA, apparently he didn't clue in that when you put the key back in...it doesn't give you your money back. Oh p...

I stole this picture from Heather but I had to show Cherie how cute he looks in this sweater. We did good. I LOVE IT!! Heather says he looks like a Garden Gnome. I hadn't thought of that till then. HE TOTALLY DOES!!! He is getting so old. He doesn't want to sit in his highchair anymore and now wants his booster seat. It is inevitable...I have to cut his hair. SIGH. I almost wish we could create a machine that lets them grow at the speed that we want them to and we could skip ages that are no fun. :)

Nanna, Boris and I playing Mario. I love my life and family.

Ok so I am sure every parent experiences the "Oh I hope my child was not the weird one at daycare today". I get that feeling everyday at 5:30 when I pick up Owen from Hethr's. If you don't know Owen well...he is on the road to becoming quite the little OCD child. If you come in from outside and snow falls off your boot...it goes in the garbage, if he finds the smallest lint...it goes in the garbage, doors need to be closed, he puts handlotion on his hands everyday with Nanna and insists you smell it. That is not the weird part....this is just some of the few things that Heather has informed me my child has eaten: potting soil sand sucked a marker dry and my new personal favourite...He decided to eat her support beam in the basement. She has his little teeth marks on the beam. So my dietitan friends out there in internet land...what on earth is my child missing in his diet that requires him to eat these weird objects? I absolutely adore the fact that Owen is comin...

This fall we went to Rundle Park and met Becky http://www.jfyphotography.com from who took these wonderful pictures of my family. She captured everyone just as they are and nothing is canned or fake about these awesome pictures. If you need a photographer for ANYTHING call Becky. I have been seriously in a daze for over a week about how big all three boys have gotten overnight. Braden talks of Star Wars and Bruce Lee, Jon is watching Glee and saying that I am embarrassing when I kiss him and shout I love him while dropping him off at school and Owen is learning new words everyday. I am forcing myself to enjoy every single moment of these days even the bad or stressful ones because listening to people at work talking about their teenagers or grown children makes me sad as their growth is ineveitable!!! I cherish the time in the van with Braden listening to Robert Munsch, I cherish the time with Jonathan curled up on the couch watching Vampire Diaries and I cherish the moment when Owen ...

Poor Jon is growing up so fast. He informed us recently that briefs were a no go for him because they looked too much like panties. Off to get poor Jon some boxers. I did not know what kind he wanted so I bought both Boxers and Boxer Briefs for him to try on. After going upstairs and trying them on, he exclaims "Boxer briefs it is because with the boxers, his penis slaps against his leg" ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? Anyway, his theory is reconfirmed the next day in gym where he can run so much faster because everything is held in place. Oh I am so out of my relm here in prince land!!! Sunday night Jon was feeling all lovey to his baby brother Owen and wanted to have a bath with him. Now Jon is all independant and doesn't usually bathe with Owie so lil dude was super excited to have big brother in the tub with him. Well they were laughing and splashing and having the greatest time ever until I heard a schreech!!! MOM COME HERE QUICK. OWEN THAT IS DEEEESSSGUSSSSSTING!!!...

Ok so Braden and Jon love love love Robert Munsch. Jon even themed his birthday around him. I discovered last week that the Alberta Museum is having an exhibit of his on so we decided to check it out this weekend. It was so much fun and there was something for everyone. Robert Munsch is coming to Edmonton in May to read at the Winspear and I am really excited that I got us all tickets to go see him. We got first row on the terrace balcony.

New years eve we went to Calgary to spend time with Boris' family. We made it in time for the Flames game. Everyone was decked out in their Flames jerseys, even me but I am behind the camera. It was a long day for everyone and we were all pretty tired ... with the exception of lil' miss Halle who was ready to party into the early dawn. As if I didn't love my mother in law enough before...(she always makes me Pumpkin Pie and you all know my obsession with PP) well now she introduced me to...Goldschlager...at first it is like listerine and then you feel the warmth in your belly and the tingling in your head. Some would say it is the 20% alcohol but I think it is the love that the gold flecks has for me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! A new year means a new start. I decided to start off with a new blog because as I was looking back...old blog just isn't who I have evolved into over the past couple years. I think I have grown into a fine speciman of a woman and have left the little girl behind...for the most part. Our January has been very busy at the Norris home. January came in with quite frigid temperatures. For those of you back home in Ontario reading this; we had a few days where we were the second coldest place on the planet. During the holiday season it warmed up a little to the -20's and the kids were getting stir crazy so I bundled them up and they were sent outside...Uncle Tyler felt sorry for them so he went out to create a snowball fight. Poor dude got the brunt of it. I think rosey cheeks and bundled children are one of the most adorable things about winter.