YOU GUYS!

MTV was on in the background after school - Lady Gaga's "Applause" to be more specific.  Nory's reaction to the video?

"UH OH........SICK!!!!!...........DOCTOR!!!............."  (proceeds to get her little doctor kit)

She's less than two and yet we're both already in agreement that, yes, THAT VIDEO IS WACKO.

Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, however?  It's our family's most recent theme song!  Stay tuned - we hope to capture Nory's "SHAKE! SHAKE! SHAKE!" moves on video!!!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR (DECAF) TEA.

*  Whoops!  I went on an unintentional 10 day hiatus.  Sorry about that.  The past week has been ROUGH (perhaps an understatement?) and all I can say is that today is the first good day I've had in a while.  I haven't cried (yet!) and I actually came home from work before it was dark (WOOT, WOOT!).  Teaching is not all fun and games, people! 

*  But sometimes teaching IS fun and games.  Today we did a super fun lab using Oobleck.  If you don't know what Oobleck is, you should Google it ASAP.  Then go to the grocery store to purchase the materials required to make it!  Hearing things like "I can't wait to tell my Mom about this!!!" are perhaps the sweetest words a teacher could hear.  Engaged times a billion.  It rocked. 

*  Although we haven't started decorating for Christmas yet (that's still two sleeps away), we HAVE started our Christmas shopping!  Mmmmm hmmm....we ran to the mall without Nory to pick up some on-sale items at the Early Learning Center.  Let's hope I can keep them all a secret until Christmas Day gets here!

*  This weekend I met the doctor that will be delivering Goose.  She's a busy woman but we're officially a patient of hers!  What did we learn?  Odds of me having a regular delivery aren't in my favour, although the possibility isn't ruled out.  Goose is healthy and rocking it breech style (which makes teaching quite tricky when you're the farthest classroom from the bathroom).  And.......believe it or not.....but the doctor actually blamed the baby's breech-ness on her "big bum".  That's right - our baby's GOT BACK!  Haha. 

*  Nory had her nails done for the first time ever on Friday.  We purchased some "Piggy Paint" when we were home in the summer but didn't get around to using it until now.  She selected the blue colour and sat so nicely as Emily put the polish on each fingernail.  Her toes were a different story.  She absolutely REFUSED to have anything put on her toes!  Maybe she will warm up to it next time :)

*  I am EXHAUSTED.  Times 100.  Plus 1000.  I think it's stress.  But Phil raises great points when he reminds me that our wake-up time is 4:30.  Our come-home-from-work time has been 5ish.  And...."Lindsay, you're pregnant!" is another common phrase he says to me.  I've actually been reminding myself of this lately too, because - despite all of the kicks to the bladder - I always try to carry on as ONE PERSON rather than two.  Phil's been a rockstar - encouraging me to rest and go to bed early in order to stay in the best baby-growing shape possible :)

*  Taylor Swift's the greatest.  Nory agrees with me.  We have some serious dance parties to "Shake It Off" in the evenings. 

*  Kumari's medical tests have FINALLY been completed!  We have to wait about two weeks for the results and we are looking into the next step of this long and confusing process to transfer her sponsorship to Phil's VISA.  Wish us luck!

*  Basketball try-outs started yesterday and Phil will have his team picked by Wednesday night.  You can bet he's in heaven now that volleyball season is over and he can run his basketball program with purpose.  Regular season games don't begin until January.  You know how much we love having babies during basketball season ;) 

*  I wore a scarf and a jacket today.  It's been around 7 degrees these mornings and I've heard the "BUT YOU'RE FROM CANADA!" remark more than I've ever heard it in the past.  I wonder if it's a side effect of working at an American school ;)  P.S.  Give me a break!  It's been 7 years! 

*  We started potty training last Tuesday night.  It wasn't supposed to start until Wednesday, but she got really excited about the Disney princess and Mickey Mouse underwear I pulled out to show Kumari.  So - it started in that VERY MOMENT (as she demanded to wear the Princess ones)!  We're going to see how it goes and try not to stress too much about it.  There have been many accidents so far, but there have also been many jumping-up-and-down-because-she-did-it parties!!!  She loves to push "the button" when she's finished and we've been using that as her reward for going :)  Fingers crossed that we make progress as the week carries on!!!

Trick or Treat! /// "Treat.......PEEEAZE!!!!!"

Last night we had so much fun trick or treating with Nory!  She loved the dressing up part to start the evening - making it very clear that she wanted her cat and dog in her pumpkin pail and that she wanted to carry both her pumpkin pail and her Vet kit all by herself.   

It's Dr. Nory!  (The best costume we could think of FOR HER that required no face paint struggles or headband removal issues!)

Ready to go see her friends for a pizza party in the courtyard! 

A spooky face for Grandpa before heading out the door!

Hooray for Halloween!  I'm all suited up - let's DO THIS!

After the pizza party outside, Nory started to knock on the apartment doors with her little friend Seton.  Seton was an adorable bumble bee and so the two of them made a real impression on all of our thoughtful candy distributors :)  It wasn't long, though, before both of them started to sit down during our elevator rides and the novelty of saying trick or treat began to wear off.  Collecting candy is TOUGH WORK for a toddler!  We decided against visiting all of the participating apartments and went back to Seton's flat to enjoy some quiet play time instead.

Then Nory crashed HARD - before 7 o'clock!  Which we didn't know until this morning because when we got home at 6 p.m. last night, she decided to knock on Kumari's door, say a confident "BYE!!!!!!!!" to the two of us, and then slammed Kumari's door on our faces.  That felt really good for Phil who hasn't seen much of her the past few days :$  We were no longer the most desired playmates and ended up making dinner plans with some friends instead.

We can't wait to hear all about your Halloween costumes and see pictures!  It's unfortunate that I have to wait that ONE EXTRA HOUR for people in Canada to wake up today!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   (And we hope you made use of that extra hour of sleep!!!)

WELCOME NOVEMBER :)

We are only a few daytime hours into November and we can already tell it's going to be a great month!  En route to a birthday party this morning, Nory threw up all over the car.  ALL......OVER......THE......CAR.  We were 5 minutes from the venue when it struck and Phil had to make a quick turn off the highway so that we (but mostly ME) could get things cleaned up.  You see, Phil was significantly grossed out when he opened the door to the backseat that he almost started vomiting too (it was dry-heave, walk-away-from-vehicle CENTRAL).  So there we were - one of us almost puking, one of us finished puking, and one of us cleaning up the puke whilst laughing at the person who might start puking next.  It was great fun!  P.S.  Laughing in such situations NEVER, EVER helps the situation.  I really should take my own advice. 

Once semi-organized, we decided it was best to turn around and come home for two reasons.  Number one - we didn't want to get any of the party attendees sick if Nory was carrying some bug.  Number two (and most importantly to Phil) - we didn't want the vomit to bake in the car at 30 degrees Celsius while we attended the festivities.

Five minutes before getting into the car this morning.  SO HAPPY AND EXCITED for the "PAAAAA-RDY!!!!"

Now we're back at square one!  Nory is napping, Phil headed back to school for the volleyball tournament and I'm having a decaf coffee while intermittently scrubbing my hands to rid myself of that awful, awful BILE smell.  Maybe I'm just paranoid.  Maybe my senses are playing tricks on me.  Or maybe I had to sit in the back seat of a vomit-covered car and with a previously-covered-in-vomit baby for 30 minutes.  Either way, the hand scrubbing will continue until I stop smelling GROSSNESS.

Moving forward, we have a new rule in the Parkinson house:  EVERYONE MUST EAT CANDY ON HALLOWEEN.  Small children included!  The poor girl hasn't even had a single TREAT from her Halloween stash yet and she's already sick :$  This could be proof that there's something to going ALL-OUT on sweets every October 31st!!!!

Happy November, EVERYONE!  Wishing you a happy month of Christmas shopping, Christmas baking, and Christmas decorating.  (Yes, I know it's November.  And yes, my wishes to you REMAIN!!!!)

To those of you who said she was too young for it.......

Well.......I guess you've never lived in the moment!

HI MICKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Trip to DISNEYLAND PARIS!

Nory is napping, Phil is at work, and I'm DETERMINED to ONCE-AND-FOR-ALL tell you about our trip to DISNEYLAND PARIS! 

First, I've mentioned our rough start to the trip.  The flight issues en route to France and the Nory injuries upon arrival.  I think I even mentioned our flight issues on our return to Kuwait:  zero stroller for a five hour layover, a random desert thunderstorm just before take-off, a WAY TO LATE arrival the morning before work?  Well, ya.  So there were those things.  And I might as well get the other rough parts out of the way now too.

There was the time she fell out of bed for a second time.  There was the time we bundled up to walk to the pool complex only to arrive and be told a child had just vomited and the pool would be closed for 24 hours.  There was the time that the "It's A Small World" ride (MY MOST DESIRED ATTRACTION!) would be under renovation our entire visit.  There was the time we planned our day around the Disney Junior Live performance, only to be told that the show that was initially in English was rescheduled to be a French production.  There was the time we ran 1.5 km in the pouring rain to - YET AGAIN - see Disney Junior Live only to hear they were having technical difficulties and the show was cancelled.  There was the time our "teatime treat vouchers" only worked from 4-7.....and there were LITERALLY no "teatime treat venues" open during said hours.  There was the time it poured rain EVERY. SINGLE. DAY (but was sunny and nice the week prior to our arrival).......

Okay.  Enough of that.  Onto the trip highlights.  Because we shall not let these other mishaps form a massive storm cloud over our Disney adventure!  Here they are....in pictures (ah-hem, a way easier form of blogging)....

It sounds silly....but it's REALLY nice going at our own pace on a trip.  Whenever Nory needed to nap, we would hide out in the nearest quiet place, grab a hot drink and a treat and just relax and chat.  It gave Nory time to recharge and the two of us a chance to just talk.  Can you tell we're at a new place in life now?!  HA!

The daily Harvest Parade.  The music is so darn catchy and we felt like we were celebrating FALL for the first time in YEARS!

Nory's requests to play inside her "FORT" with her cat and a bag of Cheerios.  She's a real little person now.  The girl's got likes and dislikes like you don't even know.

And if the above activity included wearing her "princess dress" - MY GOSH IT WAS TOPS!

When we got matching Minnie Mouse Ears and she actually kept them on without me asking her to!  Matching is awesome.  Wait until there are THREE OF US!!!!

This happy soul strolling down Main Street during the extra magic hours offered to resort guests!  It was so wonderful to be OUTSIDE and not dripping with sweat!

Her very first ride EVER - and this picture that makes me burst into laughter every time I look at it.  Of course, Nory wanted to stand on the horse the entire ride......

Running around the Alice in Wonderland maze - an activity that all three of us could enjoy :)

That ONE HOUR of sunshine, fall leaves, and Nory's new found passion for glasses. 

Orbitron - Nory's absolute FAVOURITE RIDE!  She still insists  on "flying" around the house!

Nory and Phil sharing a milkshake at a 50's diner.  SO ADORABLE.

Cleaners talking like Donald Duck, servers that draw Minnie Mouse at your breakfast table each and every morning, and the most hospitable concierge staff that draw Mickey Mouse as requested by a 20 month old.  There really is magic everywhere.

Finally seeing that Disney Junior show!  Nory loved it so much that we returned TWICE!

The Disney Magic parade - with Mickey AND princesses!  It was Nory's dream come true!  (And maybe mine too!)

Meeting the cat "Marie".  A day-making moment!

Nory running up to this guy here and yelling "EYE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So there you have it!  Our favourite moments at Disney.  It might not have been the SMOOTHEST trip we've ever gone on, but the joy of traveling still came through.  We can't wait to add another passport holder to our entourage :)

Next family trip?  Canada!  WITH BABY #2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Should I start getting scared about the journey home now or later?  HAAA!)

It looks something like this:

(when you haven't seen your daughter in 48 hours).

You'll do ANYTHING.  ANYTHING!!!!!  She orders you to wear Mommy's Minnie Mouse ears?  YOU DO IT!  She asks you to chase her around the flat while dragging a red scarf with white polka dots?  YOU DO IT!!!! 

He's the best Daddy.  And if you were in the car with us on the way home from work yesterday.....listening to him describe his much-anticipated Nory Reunion with "like I'm going on a first date" butterflies.....your heart would STILL be in a giant puddle on the floor. 

We love you so much, Phil!!!!  Even though you're booked solid all weekend, you make every FAMILY TIME second count! XOXO

Canadian Thanksgiving. Ah-hem, The Real One ;)

Three cheers for having a sister in Kuwait!  HIP, HIP!!!!!!!

Last weekend, Dana, Phil, Nory and I hosted Canadian Thanksgiving.  Wait - perhaps I should rephrase that.  It was mostly Phil, Nory and I providing a venue for the event and Dana working her tush off in the kitchen - making not one, BUT TWO turkeys, homemade cranberry sauce, and two kinds of stuffing.  I suppose I threw in a few "YOU GO GIRL's, along with some festive decorations.  And I suppose Phil kept Nory occupied and out of the chef's way.  But other than that, it was 100% D. HOIT!  GOOD WORK, DANA!  I can't wait for us to host Christmas together too!  Haha. 

Our Thankful Turkey!  You know you're at a teacher's house when........

Our guests also contributed many DELICIOUS dishes.  From appetizers to mains to desserts......there was quite the spread of food at our place :)  We had leftovers for days and I didn't mind eating the exact same thing every single meal either.  It was simply THAT YUMMY!  

This was only ONE of the tables!  Thank you to Emily for making the sign :) xo

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate this holiday with us.  We are lucky to have found such wonderful family abroad. XOXO.

WAIT. STOP. PAUSE.  

I can't end this post just yet.  I completely forgot to mention.....

Kumari Poppins.  Another GIRL WHO GOES!  Thanksgiving is SO MUCH EASIER to host when the house is spic and span 30 minutes after the final guest departs.......

We love you, K POP!!!!!!  Thank you for making life easy-peezy every chance you get :)

We hope everyone back home had a family, fun and food-filled Thanksgiving, too!  We miss you!

TWO MONTHS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go ahead and roll those Grinch eyes all you want.  Christmas is coming and not even this bowl-full-of-jelly I've got going on can stop me from jumping for joy :)

It's game time for decor starting November 12th.  Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, and holiday movies will also be out in full force!  I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NARRATING THE CAMERA ROLL....

A bedtime ritual.....tucking in her toys for "night night".

I'm so spoiled.  But I realize that!

Last week's dust day.  There's something about them I kinda like.....

Proof that it TRULY IS getting cooler here.  I might have purchased a maternity jacket at the mall yesterday....

We had full intentions of having a "date night" last night.  Then this little monkey climbed into bed with us and we couldn't resist some evening snuggles :) 

A massive decaf coffee.  I was hoping I would benefit from the placebo effect, but that was a bust.  Alas, I got lots of work done at school anyhow and baking has been done for the week!!!

The writing's on the wall.  Don't leave pencils close to giant canvases.  Toddler will find.  Toddler will use.  Toddler will be as quiet as a mouse while doing so.

The neighbour's dog playing in our Canadian backyard.  All those beautiful fall colours make me homesick.  If we could just sneak home for a couple of hours even....