Happy New Year

Of course I should write this blog on my new iPad but I really miss the keyboard on there so it is easier to just go back to my laptop ... but I promise you I absolutely love my Christmas present and spend way too much time on it - hopefully that'll change after a few more weeks, but somehow I doubt that :)

Christmas has been just lovely - the only complaint from any of us would be that it went by too fast - that often happens but it still seems that this year it really did just fly by.

Morfar and Birgit arrived December 21st and it was of course great to have them here - I was sick though with a nasty flu/cold and in the end had to go see the doctor on the 24th to get some help beating the sinus infection ... oh well ... the biggest disappointment has been that there were no cookies baked this year - at all!!! I swear the guilt I feel because of those cookies ... it is incredible - but we have decided that we'll have a Christmas cookie party in January some time - I wonder how "Jødekager" tastes without the Christmas tree and other decorations around ... we'll let you know!

Santa was as always very kind to the kids - they woke to a Keyboard (Maia), Electric Guitar (Anna) and an Nano 5th generation (Jack). It was pretty amazing as Santa had left Jack a lovely letter about how he'd asked his head Elf to go to the back room and look on the bottom shelf all the way at the back to see if they had a 5th generation left for Jack - and they did ... it's all about the magic ;)

John, Olivia and Isabella arrived on December 26th and we had a pathetic (by Danish standards!) Christmas lunch and we gave everyone their last Christmas present! We had bought tickets for everyone to go see a Hockey game (thank you Clare :) Thursday night. It was such fun! First time ever for most of us - I think maybe Uncle John has been before and of course Jack has (he was there but with his friend instead!) but the rest of us were novices and it was certainly a very Canadian thing to do :)

Tomorrow it's all back to normal - I think I shall shed a little tear tonight ... I have for the first time since way before having kids managed to sleep till 9 for a week in a row - Seriously, that is unheard of but OMG that is nice! Unfortunately the days are short that way so I haven't got time to sit here anymore - dog needs walking, dishes needs doing and maybe I should bake some cookies ;)

Have a fantastic 2011

A Tiny December Update

 Not long now ...

oh but the joys - Anna finally went back to school today after having been sick for 5 days - she did trade places with both Jack and Maia who are both lying next door with snotty faces and sore tummies ... keep telling myself that it is better that it's this week than next, but Maia still had tears this morning realizing that she might not be able to participate in tomorrows pajama party at school - also every year there is "Aunt Evelyn's Corner" where the kids get to buy presents for all their family for 50 cents per present - basically all the families at the school bring in new or slightly used items that the kids can buy. This might seem like a fab idea, but trust me - some of the presents from last year went back this year ;)

Anyways - back to the sick children - they have better get well super fast because with family arriving next week I am NOT having no germs in the house ...

December has gone by fast - as always, however we still haven't felt any stress - other than every time Bob comes home we have a looooong list of things he has to get done - so far he's ticking off lots of "have to's" but there are still way to many to get it all done before Christmas - oh well ... the house looks lovely - the gingerbread house was assembled last week - much later than normal but it looks fab - own design this year ... simple, white and just how I love it! As always I sit every night wondering what it would be like living in that house :)

We had the most Christmassy of Sundays last weekends when the snow was finally falling heavy all day - so we made "Æbleskiver" and watched "Miracle on 34th" which HAS to be seen every year for it to be truly Christmas - we just love it! Jack and Bob were not as interested as the girls so they finally brought out my Stratego - the one John and I used to play 30 years ago :) and ever since both Bob and Jack have been planning how to set up their soldiers for this weekend - they are hooked! It is a brilliant game that is!

Maia got a "French knitting" doll in her Advent Calendar that day and hasn't stopped since - it is so fun to see her so into a craft like that. I have better go get some more yarn - also I have had to promise Anna I'll get one for her, because she just wants to borrow Maia's all the time - which is impossible given that Maia always has a string on the go ...

So there - that is how our December is coming along - the presents are piled high under the tree and still more will come - it is wonderful, fun and totally like it should be!

Tomorrow the Holiday starts and we'll be able to just chill out and have fun together - can't wait to see family and friends, as it always makes this time a bit more magical!

New York New York

What a fab weekend it was ...

When David visited back in the beginning of October we had the idea that we should try to surprise Mark for his 50th birthday in New York. With Dom's help we managed to pull it off and on top had an absolutely fantastic weekend with David, Bernice, Lucy, Dom, Mark and Milo - oh and I even got to meet Dom's lovely Mum at the Brunch on Sunday morning.

New York is without a doubt pushing its way to the top of my list of favorite places I've ever been to. I cannot believe how much I love that place. This time I got to see Central Park and The Metropolitan and I managed to fall in love with both places. I have got to go back and spend a lot more time in that museum. Of all the museums I have ever been to - never have I enjoyed myself so much and I didn't even get to the second floor!

We left Friday morning and stayed with Kirsten in NJ. Bob had a meeting Friday night so Kirsten and I had a bit of time to "feet up and wine" before he was back. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time - we never ever do - despite having just spent a weekend together in Montreal!

Bob and I had all Saturday to shop and enjoy a bit of time in NY without the kids as they were being looked after by Kirsten and her lovely girls. The kids had such a great day and were spoiled rotten.

We met up with the UK gang and managed to surprise Mark at dinner! It was great fun, and I honestly think he was genuinely surprised - and happy :)

We all spent time together all Sunday - which was just magic. Strolling Central Park in stunning Autumn sunshine, I cannot think of a better way to spend an afternoon ... oh and The RedEgg is well worth visting if you like Chinese food - best Chinese we've had in like forever!

We left NY Monday morning and made it home around 8 in the evening. Jack brought home some sort of bad American flu and had to stay home for a few days last week - Maia had to cancel a birthday party today and I certainly have felt a lot better too ... but oh well - a bug for a lovely weekend ... so be it!

Christmas is coming - December is very very close - argh and this year I am beyond behind on planning and doing - at least today I got 62 presents wrapped for the advent calendar - only 10 more to do tomorrow - so the kids will be happy December 1st when they come down and see all the presents hanging :)

I very foolishly started a big BIG painting project - the last that needs doing ... the dining area/conservatory - it is the worst thing ever ... and I've had to give up finishing it totally before Christmas - it is just not happening, but at least the ceiling is done (BIG job!) and the walls are too - it's all the window trimmings - and there are 9 massive ones - and a door too ... oh well, if I do one window every few days, maybe they will be done by the time the Turkey hits the table on December 25th - guest should also know to keep their eyes on the table and not the floor because for sure for sure that will not get done before mid January!

Have a lovely December!

Maia's 7th Birthday

She's 7 ...

What a great day it was. I love it when their birthday's fall on a weekend. Of course they woke early - that probably won't change till she turns 14 - so it was super dark outside while she opened pressies and I had the scones in the oven!

As always there were lots of Fantastic pressies!!!



We had a great party with only 4 little girls coming over for a "Fairy Mystery Party" which was so good. I had bought a great party from eBay - which basically was a treasure hunt throughout the house and it was brilliant. Such an easy and fun party - with only 4 guest it was easy peasy and the girls were so nice! Also, Bob was fantastic because he basically set up the whole thing, all I had to do was the cake and the party food. Most relaxed birthday party ever - loved it, and so did the girls. They had to climb over the mountains and jump from lilly pad to lilly pad every time they had to go from one part of the house to the other - that worked out great because it slowed them down quite a bit!



The Lilly Pads



The Mountains



Bob and I were a bit lost for idea on what to get Maia this year for her Birthday so I had asked her if we could do up her room for her birthday, and she was game!

She's the only one who hasn't had her room done of the kids since we moved in, and she didn't have a strong feeling of what she wanted other than "I would just love to sleep with clouds around me" so without doing the whole room clouds we managed to do her a lovely Nature Room and it is just gorgeous and she was so happy with it

(phew!)

I'm really please on how it turned out - and so far two weeks later she's still managing to keep it somewhat tidy - so hopefully she'll keep that up!

She asked for the Cake to go with the Cloud and Fairy Theme!

Thank you so much for all the wonderful pressies - she loved them all and enjoys them whether it being a craft, clothes or a book - she's super happy with everything she got!

I went to Montreal this weekend with my friend Kirsten - first time I was away on my own in 3 years! It was wonderful and I enjoyed myself tremendously - and got lots of stuff for the advent calendars!

Bob is very happy in his new job - it is certainly more quiet but it is wonderful to have him home every weekend and we're all feeling "wow here he is again" every time Friday comes around - it will take a bit of getting used to :)

Take Care,

Time for some Changes

I just thought I should update you on the parents in the Mote family ;)

Bob was offered a new job in Airdrie just outside of Calgary last week and it wasn't a hard one to accept! He will no longer need to travel all the way to Fort McMurrey - but even more importantly ... he'll be home every single weekend ... no more 10 days on 4 days off! Instead he'll leave on Monday mornings and be home Thursday evening or Friday morning. It still hasn't quite sunk in how lucky we are and we are all pinching ourselves (and each other) every so often, because it will make such a big difference to our lives!

I stopped working at the Hospice this week. I have enjoyed working there but due to some added stresses in our lives it just wasn't the right place for me at the moment. I will miss it but I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to have worked with some fabulous people. For now it is the right thing for me to step away and concentrate on other things.

I have signed up at the Ottawa School of Arts for "Sculptural Ceramics Intro" and here's what it says about the class :

The Sculptural Ceramics course is presented in a master class format but with an instructing philosophy that accommodates adults of every level of experience. By demonstrating a large range of hand-building techniques combined with direct instruction on throwing on the potter’s wheel this course encourages individual artistic growth and creative thinking within a contemporary ceramic or vessel context.

I believe Bob is slightly worried that the house will be filled with ashtrays and silly looking cups with wonky handles ... I'll try my best not to embarrass anyone!

So there you have it - the adults in the Mote house will start on new adventures beginning next week!

I Really Heart My Home!!!

We're Back!

It was an ... shall we say interesting holiday this year - and unfortunately it ended with a very wet tent trailer and 5 fed up people who just wanted to go home - but couldn't because of all the places we could have chosen to go - we had picked one place in the US you cannot drive home from when you've had enough!

Matha's Vineyard - so so pretty and when we stod on the ferry looking forward to our time there it couldn't have been more perfect

... however, had we known that we'd only get two good days there we'd have run around like headless chickens from beach to beach to take it all in - instead we took our time and only made it to two beaches

Obviously the weather was absolutely gorgeous the two first days ...

We never looked at the weather forecast and got quite surprised when we woke up to pounding rain and gushing winds up to 40 miles per hour ... not quite the best way to spend your holiday in a tent trailer - and there really is only so much you can do on Martha's Vineyard when the rain is pouring! We managed to buy a fun game and spent time around our "dinner table" and whenever the rain let up - even for a few minutes the kids were on the playground having tons of fun with their new-found friends!

After three days of this we were rather fed up (read VERY fed up!) but knew that so were many other people and the chance of getting on a ferry with no reservation was going to be very hard. When we woke on the day before our reservation to yet more heavy rain we'd had it though and had a family pow wow and decided that we'd take our chance and try for the ferry on stand-by ... it took 7 (!) hours to wait for a spot - 7 hours of sitting in the car waiting, praying and hoping for a spot - and we were back on the main land at 5 pm ...

This is the last thing we saw as we were sailling from Matha's Vineyard - so lovely ...

we then had a nice meal, did some Target shopping (those fishy pretzels that you just cannot get in Canada :) and then we were on the road home to Ottawa at 7.30 pm ... Bob stepped on it and had us all in our beds by 4 in the morning ... a long - LONG day!

But the holiday was not all bad. My absolute favorite - unplanned, totally fluke and so interesting was when we were driving towards our camp-site outside of Boston. By chance we saw a sign saying "Shaker Museum". We spent maybe 2 hours there (children's attention span running very low by then!) but it was facinating and I do so love my new Shaker tray :) http://www.shakermuseum.org/

And Boston was also lovely - we ended up spending only one day in Boston and I'm sure we missed a lot - but it was a nice day and we had a lot of laughs there.

We went to the hotel were I had initially planned to have my birthday party and all I can say is that I'm very happy we went to Quebec instead. The hotel looked rather run down and not at all as shiny in real life as online!

 The kids were fed up walking by the end of the day and we were happy to go back to the campsite to do a few smores :)

And that really was it - the holiday was a bit too long, probably because we were wet and didn't have a lot of fun during the last three day - but the absolute biggest experience (for Maia and Anna!) and one they will probably always remember as the best bit about the holiday was without a doubt seeing Michelle Obama!!!

We went to Edgartown to have lunch and at the cafe the girls serving were all aflutter because they had heard the Obama's were eating just around the corner from where we were. We finished our lunch and true enough the whole area was full of secret service and police but we managed a great spot literally two meters from the entrance to the restaurant. Maia was not going to let this chance pass her by and she was happily waiting on Bob's shoulders for 90 minutes.

Jack needed the washroom and I had to take him so the two of us were unfortunately not there when the First Lady finally emerged. She stepped out - looked to her right and waved right at Anna and Maia ... Jack and I saw her in her car when she went around the corner and got a little wave too :)

I had of course let Bob in charge of the camera - and he didn't get a single good shot - but I managed to find this link online which must have been taken by someone standing right next to Maia and Anna ... enjoy : http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100824/NEWS11/100829863

And that is all from us ... Bob leaves Monday morning - the kids start school on Wednesday and then it's all back to normal! Tell me again ... where did the summer go???

Visitor No 11 ...

Isabella the Brave has Arrived :-)

Isabella travelled all the way from San Francisco, through Washington to Ottawa this week and I am beyond proud of her - just 9 years old and not a worry in her little head about travelling great distances - so long as there is a price at the end, and what bigger price than three cousins who absolutely adore her - as do Bob and I!

As I'm writing lound crashes and bangs can be heard - they are on their 3rd fort ... Jack's bunk bed is the "frame" and it is getting bigger ... and bigger ... and bigger ... it is so much fun for them and I'm enjoying so much just listening to 4 little people playing so well together. They really do have a ton of fun, between the pool, forts, crafts, movies (Ramona & Beezus is just fab btw!) and just hanging out ... it makes it easy being a mummy :)

We had 4 days of just being us, me and the kids, before Isabella got here, and it was fantastic ... I thoroughly enjoyed it - we did NOTHING ... except for playing Wii and finally finishing all the levels on Mario - it was so intense that Maia became the chef one evening and served us all salami sandwiches, brownies and milk - you have no idea how much fun we had - screaming, shouting and cheering each other on. And when it all became too too much we'd jump in the pool, have some food and move on - Hillarious!!!

Before the 4 day break in visitors, we had Mathilde here for 3 weeks. It was good fun having a teenager in the house, and we learned a lot about what life is like in Denmark these days - good golly it is weird when you say "well when I went to boarding school ... 27 years ago!!!!" ... she's off this year and I envy her - best school year ever :) ... it was a lot of shopping and we are happy to know she went home with lots of new jeans, books and All Stars :)

Now we'll enjoy our wonderful cousin and then we're finally off on our own holiday - we'll be leaving next Saturday for 4 days in Boston, then a few days on Cape Cod and then a week on Martha's Vineyard - I'm secretly hoping for a day-trip to Nantucket - we'll see how Maia feels about the ferry to Martha's Vineyard first :)

No Casper didn't have a haircut - this was one of the guys we met in Park Omega :)

Hope the Summer is treating you well where ever you are - we haven't had many days under 28 degrees this summer and often it has been even hotter and a lot more humid than the other two summers here ... but I am happy to say I have dealt with it much much better than I thought I would and I have finally learned to love the aircon!