January has been quite cold, so the kids haven't played outside much this month. However, we did get a couple of days to go outside and enjoy some sledding and skating. Here's a few pics.
Connor has also taken in a Prince Albert Raider game with his dad and Grandma Dorothy. Unfortunately, the Raiders were losing so badly that by the third period he started cheering for the other team. He has also been hard at work this month creating his "Hockey Newspaper". He started with 1927 and worked his way towards 2010, one year at a time, listing the teams that had won the Stanley Cup. Only thing is, Connor is not much of a historian-- so he just put in whatever teams he wanted to win for each year. As a result, the Might Ducks and the Hurricanes both managed to win the Cup in the 1930s-- even though they didn't exist until the 80s and 90s. The FLAMES, his favorite team, have also had multiple wins; while the team he hates-- the Oilers-- never did win. Tell that to Gretzky, kid. Oh well, historical accuracy is highly overrated as any political party will tell you, the important thing is that he's been happily practicing his printing and spelling skills. Also, he uses his hockey cards to do all his research-- so that means I get a short amount of time where he is quietly working rather than talking my ear off about his favorite topic-- HOCKEY. And yes, I know I'm a bad mother for tuning out for a moment while he drones on about goals and scores and teams. He has caught on to the fact that I don't listen as fully or attentively as he would like-- but he is a resourceful lad not easily discouraged. Rather than talk to mom, he sneaks off to the bedroom, dials Grandma Z, and talks for 10, 20, and sometimes 30 minutes about everything she ever wanted (or didn't) want to know about hockey. She is a patient grandma, and one day when he's broadcasting for Hockey Night In Canada, I know she's more likely to get credit for his success than I. No big deal-- I'll probably be watching some other channel as I will already have heard Connor talk enough about hockey.
As for the girls, they are keeping busy too. Kaylie continues to be obsessed with her stuffed kitten Cricket. We even had to throw it a birthday party this past month, since Kaylie announced one Sunday that we had to make "pupcakes" for Cricket's birthday. Emily decorated them and we all enjoyed. Kaylie has also started to enjoy playing with Polly Pockets this month and legos and blocks and all things related to building.
Emily is busy with school. They've been studying about Antarctica and penguins, and we were able to make contact with someone working at the South Pole Weather Station who has been telling us a little bit about working there. Emily, who has always said she's going to be a meteorologist isn't sure she wants to work where the warm days of January are as cold as our cold days in Saskatchewan.
This morning it was -35C-- and I was perhaps the only person in Saskatchewan happy to see the cold weather. I had seen a science experiment on television that I had wanted to do with Emily, but the only problem is you need -30C or colder weather to make it happen. We've waited almost two weeks to get the right weather conditions. Then we bundled up, boiled some water, threw it in the air and made instant steam and snow. Way cool!!! (Literally and figuratively). We posted our video of us doing the experiment on a weather wiki that I have been doing with Emily's class at school. Link here and scroll down on our Meath Park page to take a look at the movie:
Emily's also been having some fun creating music at a site called www.noteflight.com. Follow this link to listen to one of her songs:
A Zircon.
She did this by herself-- harmonies and all. Looks like the piano lessons are starting to pay off!
So that's what life's been like in the month of January. We'll try and update again in February.
