Category: Katrine

Primary Stars Team!

We now have a CanSkater of the Month and a new member of the Central Ontario Primary Stars Figure Skating Team in our house!!! (Yup, proud mama moment)

We got the email today.  Katrine has been selected as a member of this year’s Primary Stars Team!!! 🙂 She is super excited.  When I got home from drumming with Elspeth tonight she ran up to me and jumped in my arms while telling me the news.  It was great to see her so very exctied about something that she has put so much time and effort into.  A special YEAH to all her coaches.

Some photos of our Katrine on ice.

Training

Competing

For fun.  It is all about the skating for her.

Valentines Day Attwood Style!

We have been really enjoying the Olympics and Valentines Day has been no exception.  What a treat it was to watch the men’s long program.  I even did not do my traditional Valentine’s nails because of the Olympics.  Feeling really proud of the atheletes.

Enough about that.  Time for some valentines.  The day began with a nice breakfast.  My favourite part were the heart shaped eggs.  I found the pan tucked away at the back of the cupboard last month and today provided the perfect opportunity to use it.  The girls informed me that I am to now make heart shaped eggs each year.  They both loved their pillows.  We almost couldn’t get Elspeth to leave hers at home when it was time to head out the door.  Yup, no candy on the table for them.  They seem to get plenty at school either during class or after care parties or with Valentines.  The last thing they need is even more.

When I picked up the girls we headed out for groceries.  We were planning on having chocolate fondue for dessert and I wanted the fruit to be nice and fresh.  Apparently, celebrating Valentines Day can be hard work.  As you can see, Elspeth had to lay down in the cart.

Katrine contributed a special decoration to our dinner table.  She had made a small beeswax candle at school.  Of course we had to light it because “it makes it more romantic” (giggle, giggle).

Neither girl could believe that they were going to be allowed to shove their fruit into a pot of warm chocolate.  Elspeth, of course, ended up with chocolate everywhere.  It looked like she had fingerpainted with brown paint.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture before we cleaned her up.  I did manage to get a picture of Katrine fishing a strawberry out of the chocolate.  She had some difficulty keeping the fruit on the fork…not that she was complaining about having to eat a piece of fruit dripping with chocolatey goodness.

And lastly some random cuteness.  Elspeth’s aftercare has been learning about space.  They have made a few different solar systems and have a simple telescope for the kids to play with in the drama corner.  They also made an astronaut cut out.  I couldn’t resist.  Here is Elspeth the Astronaut.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Winter Olympics!!

It is that wonderful time of year again fondly known in our house as the Winter Olympics.  It is a time where the kids get to eat in front of the tv and watch as much sports as they can handle.  This year’s Olympics have also provided us with the excuse to pull out a favourite skating dress.

 

In December 2009, the Olympic torch passed through town.  At that time, my Grandma sent money over and we bought Katrine a red skating dress…her first new dress in fact.  She wore that dress when she skated in the celebration show commerating the torch relay.

This past weekend, the skating club had a red and white day in honour of our atheletes in Sochi.  It was time to break out the red dress.  It was too wide around and too long on the sleeves but Little One was super proud of her stylish dress.  Contined good luck to our atheletes.

Even more snow

After a fabulous Chinese New Year party with Katrine’s China family we came home to more snow.  Needless to say, the girls are thrilled.  Here is just a glimpse of what they got up to. (The skating pictures are from the party.)

Glenn and I?  Where are we?  Shoveling of course.

Mama turns 40

Yup, I am officially in my 4th decade with Glenn to follow soon enough.  It has been a wonderful birthday too.  I got to sleep in (mainly because I slept through the alarm but that is a minor detail) and still made it to work on time!  Waiting for me in my mailbox was a can of coke (my caffeine of choice) and a pink flamingo hat.  So, all day I was walking around school with a flamingo on my head…and the kids loved it!  I shared treats with my SSC students as well as those in my prep coverage classes.  I think that I smiled all through the day.  To top it off, it was a fairly smooth day at work.

I picked Katrine and Elspeth up and we met Glenn for dinner.  We chose to go to B*ston Pizza because they had GF items that I can eat as well as meals that the girls enjoy.  Glenn made the meal extra special by finding out if the bacon wrapped steak bites were GF.  They were!! And they were also delicious (we got them without the onions or dip)  A perfect way to change an ordinary meal into something special.  After a delightful dinner it was back home for dessert and gifts.  Glenn and the girls had baked a GF chocolate cake with chocolate icing and then topped it with 40 candles.  It took 3 puffs for me to blow them out.  Man that is a lot of candles.  Topped it all off with cuddles from my girls, a glass of wine and a roaring fire.  What did I get?  Lots of stuff but one of the best things is a new dishwasher from Glenn.  Doesn’t sound special?  Well it is when it means that the broken one is replaced and dishes no longer have to be done by hand.  Now that put a smile on my face.

Saturday was a reasonably quiet day that involved some sleeping in and more relaxing.  Today was the official end of the celebrations which were marked by the arrival of a visit with a dear friend and her family who brought me some beautiful roses that are now brightening up our kitchen and mantel.  Then it was off to the local skating trail for some family fun with friends.  It was a wonderful day to be skating – cool but not cold and with only a slight breeze.  Plus, Elspeth is improving leaps and bounds so she was going at quite a good pace which meant that Glenn and I got some actual skating in.  We ended the afternoon with dinner at home with those friends marked by great conversation and watching all four girls consume mounds of cake pops.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this birthday special for me.  I have had a weekend full of love and it has made me feel special.  My twenties saw me married, my thrities the arrival of our girls, so I can only hope that my forties are half as good as either decade.

😎

Welcome 2014!

We ended 2013 and welcomed 2014 with snow and lots of it because we were up at my parents.  Mom made a most delicious steak pie and triffle (GF of course ’cause she is the best mom ever).  Then my parents were off to their “Hillbilly New Year Hoedown”.  Yup, off they went to their party where they had an awesome time while the four of us crashed at their place…as you can see below, the girls were party animals.

New Year’s Day we headed off to the Wye Marsh for some skiing.  It was awesome to be there as a group of four.  Elspeth was tickled pink to be on skis like the rest of us.  Unfortunately she is still a bit slow so we skied to the parking lot and then back before she had enough.  Then I took her out on a sled around the trails before Glenn and I switched places and I got some skiing in.

Don’t you just love the rosy cheeks?

After a lunch it was time for some more outside play in the backyard with SOOOOO much snow.

We were planning on going sledding this morning but didn’t make it as it was super cold.  Maybe next time!

Happy New Year Everyone!