Friday, December 18, 2009

Wednesday 16 December

Wednesday was the last day of swimming lessons for the year.  James came home very excited because he has moved up a level.  He will now be in level 4 which is the same level that Brent is swimming at.  The other big thing about level 4 is that he will now be swimming in the 25m pool all the time not in the learners pool that is 18m.


The certificate reads:
This certificate has been awarded for proficiency in the following:
- 25m freestyle with bilateral breathing
- 25m backstroke
- basic breaststroke kick
- strong butterfly kick
- water safety

Well done James & I am lookking forward to seeing you square off with your brother in the swimming stakes next year.

Sunday 13 December - Christmas Photo

I am working backwards here as Friday 11 December was such a busy day. 

After celebrating Brent's birthday at Drexels in Hereford Street I took the boys to Ballantynes to have a photo with santa.  Unfortunately Mr 10 year old now deems himself too big to have a photo with santa so for the first time ever for James, he got a solo photo of him & santa.  Obviously this isn't going to be a happening thing anymore so I'm pleased that I did at least get one of James & santa. 



I always thought it was a nice to have a yearly photo of the boys & santa but I have to admit I never stopped & thought what happens when they get too old?  Oh, well I'll work that out next year & this year will just have to be the way it is.  Quite nice really because Brent has 2 photos of just him & santa so now James gets to have the same but just at a different age.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Monday 14 December - Remembering Nana, Brent

These are the 2 decorations Brent chose.  His ones were cheap so I let him have two.  The star is because "nana was a star nana & because she is now up there looking down on me."

I think the red heart is pretty self explanatory.


Tuesday 15 December - In rememberance of Nana, James

This month has been incredibly hard.  I thought that by now the pain may have disappeared but this month has contained a lot of "firsts" & obviously there are still more to come.

The whole buying of an ornament to remember nana by came out of a flip comment made by one of the boys on about December 2nd.  "I wish we had an advent calendar from nana to open."  The sadness I felt was very deep & I was quickly in tears.  Luckily I remembered that while clearing out mum's bedroom we did indeed find 2 advent calendars.  I took one & Jo took the other.  Even more lucky, given the state the garage & the house is in with boxes everywhere from both our house & mum's, is that I knew exactly where to find it.

So the boys do indeed have a last advent calendar from nana & they take turns everyday to open it.  I must remember to take a photo of it. 

Mum used to love Christmas & every year she would go "all out".  She would get her christmas tree out & let the grandchildren have free reign in decorating it.  She would have tinsel on stair banisters, a musical christmas tree that the kids loved hearing & a advent calendar of her own that the children would open with her.

We have always given the boys a christmas ornament, usually  something based on their life at this stage.  I am still looking for an ornament for the boys at the moment (but I am finding the whole christmas thing very, very hard) but when we were in Ballantynes getting James' photo with santa it seemed a great opportunity to maybe buy a decoration that they would want to remember nana by.

James chose this little cherub & at the moment it sits with all the angels "where nana is, mum."