Goodbye 2015, HELLO 2016!!!

Whenever I see or hear the word "HELLO", what I actually process is Adele's latest hit.  HELLO!!!  It's me!!!!  I'm sure you can relate.  Because you've also listened to the song a bazillion times.  Because it's 2016 now and you can't escape what's trending if you tried ;)

Anyways.  Here's what's been going on the last two days:

^^^  Left Side:  Em and I had a "Shay Day" in honour of a blogger whom we ADORE SO MUCH!  To celebrate, we wore plaid and set out to find some Butter London nail polish.  We didn't find the polish, but we DID find plaid cups!!!  Right Side: I love this joke that I found on Instagram :)  iPhone user for life.  (And I'm hoping to get a new one soon...LOVE YOU, PHIL!)

^^^  This was our sign for the game last night.  We thought it was hilarious, but I think we might have been the only ones who felt that way.  #youwinsomeyoulosesome

^^^  Despite the EXTRA-NOISY dialogue between Sweden fans and Canadian fans on the tram to the game, Nory snoozed away.  Unfortunately, she woke up on the walk to the arena and she did so on the wrong side of the stroller.  Juliet, in contrast, was wide-eyed and content as she took in all of the pre-game excitement (which was the most INSANE we'd seen it at this world junior tournament).  #newyearscrowd 

^^^  Since ice cream almost always makes everything better, we got one for Nory hoping that it would improve her mood.  It was a really brilliant idea until the ice cream started to melt and got her hands all dirty.  And then she got mad at me for licking away the drips.  And then she got mad at me for every single thing I did to try to save our New Years Eve from a ferocious practically-three-year-old.  And then Jettie got tired.  And then there we were, not even a whole period into the game, rushing to the concession area to do laps and calm our exhausted children before security gave us the boot.

 ^^^  Left Side:  Sometimes I like to post pictures to prove that Jettie HAS HAIR.  Right Side:  A SUPERMOM who left her own two babies at home in Canada rescued us by taking Nory on a walk to find her favourite mascot ever - FINKEY!  Thank you to this SUPERMOM and thank you to Finkey for being a wonderful distraction during all four Canada games :)

^^^  We left with 10 minutes left in the third period.  Em and Steve stayed til the end, so it was just us four as the clock struck midnight!  WOOT!  This year we resolve to SURVIVE life with a soon-to-be-walker and a soon-to-be-(already is?)-threenager.  That's good enough, right?  To survive?  Because I think that's all the energy we have right now ;) 

In all honesty, this year we look forward to watching the sibling dynamic change as Juliet gets more steady on her feet (and more vocal, too)!  Also, Nory will be starting nursery school in August and Phil will be taking on a new position at the school.  Changes are coming and we hope to embrace all they entail with optimism and togetherness.  It's easy to fall apart during times of change and our hope is to stay strong and united and JUST LOVE THE HECK OUT OF EACH OTHER.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy 2016!

Love,
The Parkinson Family
XOXO

P.S.  Here's the video we made on our final day in Helsinki.  Thank you Steve for putting it all together for us! xo

TRUE PATRIOT LOVE :)

It's 10:30 on Wednesday evening and I'm snuggled up with Nory on the couch.  She's watching Baby Alive videos on YouTube (don't ask) and I'm eating some After Eights (hi Nan!) to keep me awake as I write this post.  This post, by the way, could alternatively be titled "December 28/29/30" because I'm going to be lazy and combine three trip days into one.  Truth being, I have little energy to spare tonight after dealing with diarrhea in not one, BUT BOTH, Parkinson children.  Did I mention it was our first night as JUST US FOUR at the apartment?  #bestfamilynightever #ha

(Last night was equally as hilarious as Nory remarked, "Mom!  I love your hair.  It is SO BEAUTIFUL!"  And just as my heart began to melt, she leaned in closer, took a big whiff, and exclaimed, "but it smells like poo, though.")

Motherhood.  SO FUN, you guys!

Anyways, we cheered on Canada in back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday night.  Our dedication to making signs remains strong and we've had to return to the stationary store to pick up more black and red markers for the cause.  Cardboard remains easily available in the recycling bin out back and we've lucked out with all of the boxes remaining from Christmas.

Team Canada won both games, although we didn't see the finish of the game versus Switzerland last night.  The girls had pretty much had it with only 3 minutes to go in the third period and, although it was tied 2-2, it was one of those situations where we knew we better not push it any longer.  Sometimes you gotta suck it up and miss the exciting shoot-out.  Sometimes you have to be a 100% parent.  GASP!

Before I sign off here, it must be said that CANADA FANS are the BEST.  Likely, the best in the world :)  There's nothing like a sea of red and white in a country that's not your own.  TRUE PATRIOT LOVE, my friends.

And now, PICTURES (because you know darn well I have a ridiculously excessive amount of pictures on my camera roll just waiting to be posted right here for you to love 'em like I do):

BOXING DAY // HOW MANY SELFIES CAN ONE TAKE, YOU ASK?

You know how Boxing Day is a thing back home?  It's totally not a thing here.  It seems as though stores have been closed for DAYS and some might be closed for many days more.  Which is awesome for shop owners - you know, with extended holidays and all.  But when you're an avid shopper visiting from the Middle East (#weshoptheshop).....who is freezing cold and wants nothing more than to browse/warm-up in your cozy-looking boutique....it's not so fantastic.

Luckily, we're teachers and that equates to being MOSTLY flexible :)  Em and I made the most of our Boxing Day Shopping FAIL.  We were kid-less and men-less and we weren't going to let closed doors ruin our afternoon out.  Nor are we going to let a Team Canada LOSS ruin our Canadian spirit!

Here are some pictures from GAME DAY:

^^^  We opted for drinks and appetizers at Hard Rock when we discovered that nothing else was open.  No Team Canada spottings this time around, but we did have many TEAM CANADA FAN spottings!!!!  It was so exciting to see Canadians out and about in their Canadian Gear.  But not as exciting as it was when it started to snow.  I HAVE NOT SEEN SNOW IN YEARS!!!!!!  I'm sure Em was embarrassed to be beside me because I was jumping up and down and acting truly ridiculous.  I even removed my precious mittens and stopped in the middle of a chilly hill to Facetime my Dad and tell him the great news!

^^^  With our game tickets, we actually get to watch both games scheduled for the evening.  The girls needed some down time and a nap, however, so Em and I sent the boys out and took care of nap time and Canada nails before getting everyone dressed up for the Canada versus USA game.  

^^^  We made two signs for the game - one just for our American friend, Steve, and the other to use post-penalty (it's a Justin Bieber reference).  We didn't make it on TSN this time, but we were quite popular in our section of the rink.  People wanted pictures with our signs and pictures of Steve holding his.  Also, we ran into the TSN camera man who put us on tv two years ago in Malmo AND he remembered us!!!!!!  ALSO, a Canadian couple also in Malmo recognized us too and commented on how much Nory has grown since they saw her in Sweden.  It was SO COOL :)

 ^^^ The girls were fantastic during the game.  Jet chilled on Phil's lap and chewed on her socks for a couple of hours.  She loved looking around - watching the fans and listening to the sounds of the game.  Nory had her own seat (which we paid for, obviously), but she spent most of her time on my lap (which was awesome, obviously).  She got right into TEAM CANADA SPIRIT and we only had ONE potential CRISIS SITUATION, which was quickly averted.  It involved finding LINT on her BLACK PANTS and I'd like to take a minute here to THANK NORY for teaching me to be patient beyond what I ever thought was possible.  HA.  Nory also spent lots of time looking for "FINKEY" the mascot, who we were lucky enough to get into a picture with. 

I took a couple of videos of the girls at the game.  I'm trying to capture more videos of each of them, so here's to me making a conscious effort to do so.

JETTIE AT THE GAME:

NORY AT THE GAME:

I think their personalities come out in full force in these videos.  If you didn't know them before, you know them now ;)  

It's unfortunate that the boys lost, but we're saving the VICTORY AGAINST TEAM USA for the playoffs :)  The girls were left un-phased by the loss and partied until midnight (Juliet) and 1:30 a.m. (Nory).  We're choosing to go with the flow this trip and aren't too bothered by the late night.  That's what coffee is for :)  And lazy day snuggles the following day :)

Getting pumped up for another game tonight.  

GO CANADA GO!!!!!!!