New Year's Eve Day

We have had a late night every night, and they keep getting later. Kevin sleeps in to 8 or 9, but it isn't enough to catch up. This morning, his eyes were looking tired, and he needed his thumb and gankie. I realized that gankie needed to go downtown with us today.

Late morning, we, including gankie, took the GO Train to Toronto!




From Union Station, we had to walk all the way to the Princess of Wales Theatre -- but the walk was all underground in the catacombs of pathways!

We found a Tim Hortons (where I LOVE the sandwiches. Grampy usually refuses to eat one. ha!)! We had yummy sandwiches and a donut! Kevin liked his (except the lettuce). Grampy says his was "OK." Prejudices are had to change! ;-)

We were told as we entered the theater that no photos could be taken. So we took a photo after the performance, with the program, in the Path. What a fabulous show!!! Kevin LOVED it and wanted to sing along with the couple of songs that he knew. But he was very tired and did need gankie. I was surprised that I was moved by all the emotional scenes. Good thing I brought Kleenexes!

Then we passed an ad for the show in the Path.

It was a long walk back for a tired boy...

He had a nap on the train.

I passed him over to Grampy before our stop for Grampy to carry off the train.

Before 10:00, we drove to the NY's Eve fireworks in our city to ring in the New Year! We were able to stop along a curb. Since no one chased us away, we stayed warm and dry (it was drizzling out) yet enjoyed the sights. Some were silent shells, and Kevin wondered why. Of course, there were the booming and popping ones as well as sizzling, but there was a new sound that I had not heard before -- a scrapping sound. I told Grampy that my opinion of the show was a "fizzle," because they were mostly small shells. But they did include a shell I had never seen before: it looked like a tornado of white snowflakes spiraling upwards. We liked that one! They did a lot of layered, white bursts which were beautiful in the winter sky too.

On the way home, Kevin was watching his glowing Coke bottle (These were handed out to the crowd as the Olympic Torch passed in front of our house while we were at another event. Friends who watched gave this to me for Kevin.) He was pondering how the colors changed. His conclusion is that there are three painted bulbs inside and they turn on one at a time in sequence. Smart boy!

Family Day

We started the day with doggie park. Again only one little dog came along. Kevin found a long stick to play with...


...until Guinness broke it in two.

Uncle Gary, Aunt Ellen, Cousin John and Jillian, and little 2 year old Georgia arrived this morning to have lunch with us. We needed two more chairs in the dining room. Without saying anything, Kevin realized that, and rolled our two desk chairs from the den, through the living room, to the dining room! Since rolling chairs are not the best at the table, he had to roll them back where they came from.

Kevin had fun playing with Georgia and he loved Jillian who has been a Montessori teacher and knows how to challenge Kevin's mind.

Giving Georgia and Jillian a hug before they had to leave.

After John's family left, Aunt Diane arrived.

Kevin's great aunts and uncles brought him some cool gifts. One is a game with wooden blocks, but Kevin made up his own game. He stacked the hearth stool on top of the piano bench and arranged the blocks on top.

We had a Walsh family Christmas dinner this evening. We even had Walsh Christmas Pudding (a secret family recipe) for dessert and Kevin LIKED it!!! His Mommy did not like it as she hated raisins.


After dinner, Kevin made up another game: he brought each of us a small piece of red tissue paper rolled up. He told us to unroll our scrolls and read what it said. They were blank. Aunt Ellen went first. On hers, she read about coming to spend the day with us and about Kevin being with us. Uncle Gary was next. He quoted Robert Frost's poem - "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening." Aunt Diane quoted one of her father's favorites using words requiring proper enunciation -- wrists, ghosts, etc. Grampy tried to recite "Eletelephony" by Laura Richards. Grandma told William Blake's poem - "The Lamb." Then I ran upstairs to find the book of Frost's poem with Susan Jeffers' illustrations which I bought for Kevin waiting for him to be old enough for it. Today is the day!

Nutcracker Day

Kevin went to doggie park with me this morning sans camera, but it wasn't exciting anyway. Only two unfriendly little dogs were there.

Grampy wanted to show Kevin his car. In freezing weather, they went for a short convertible ride with the heat on high and seat heaters on full (and the windows up). Kevin ooohed and ahhhed and looked at the sky.

We drove downtown Toronto to see The Nutcracker! Our seats were amazing!!! We sat in the row behind the orchestra pit -- in front of the harp!!!


Before the performance began, Kevin took a few pictures too:




It was a fabulous performance! There were several funny scenarios the Canadian National Ballet introduced into the production -- a rat running across the stage repeatedly, a chef chasing a chicken, and a dancing horse. Kevin with impressed with the giant Fabergé egg out of which the Sugar Plum Fairy appeared. We looked at the Christmas ornaments in the gift shop. He chose a Mouse King (Nutcracker character) and a crystal angel with a harp.

At home, Kevin watched some old Christmas VHS videos that we taped from TV for Karin and Greg back in the early 1980s. They are still as good now as they were then! ha!


We had to go grocery shopping. We saw a Lego race car which Grandma thought we had to have! Kevin is known for his puzzle ability, and this activity was an extension of completing a puzzle and following directions. He was VERY good at it! The box said for ages 6+. Kevin will be 6 in only four more months!


I usually set Christmas stuffed animals on each stair of the staircase, but, since having Guinness, there is no point. This year I got the brilliant idea of using Guinness's stuffed animals. Kevin collected them and put them on the bed with Guinness.

Kevin asked for Grampy to read him his bedtime story.

As we prayed at bedtime, we thanked God for The Nutcracker, the Legos, our good food, etc. After I left him, he was thanking God for air to breathe and many other things but I couldn't hear him clearly enough without him seeing me.

Grandma's Birthday

This morning, a sweet little boy awakened me at 8 AM by whispering, "Happy Birthday" in my face! A few minutes later before we had stirred from bed, Greg called to wish me a happy birthday! He always calls, but usually not first thing in the morning. That is what Karin did. She often awakened us on our birthdays. Grant's birthday in April was sadder this year than we ever imagined, because there was no call. Having Kevin here and Greg's early call was the medicine I needed for today!

Greg told us this morning that Kien was out of sorts yesterday. He cried and cried over nothing all day. He missed Grandma and Grampy! :) How sweet!

Grant gave me a birthday card with three tickets to The Nutcracker tomorrow!!!! WOW!

Kevin opened another gift from us this morning for him to play with at our house this week: A Color Explosion Glow Board. It was a hit! He spent the morning coloring with crayons, markers, and the Glow Board.



I opened the cupboard to pull down a mixing bowl, and Kevin said he saw Leia Rose (a dear friend) in my cupboard. I reopened it and asked what he meant. He explained that he saw Leia Rose's reflection in the stainless steel bowl which was actually my reflection, but he thought it looked like Leia Rose. I stupidly took a picture of my reflection, which only shows the camera in front of my face! ha!

Kevin helped to mix up the tuna salad for our sandwiches.

We prepared the sandwiches and placed them on the table in the dining room, then returned to the kitchen to begin making Rice Krispie Treats while waiting for Grampy to come home. We heard a commotion, ran to the dining room to find that Guinness had eaten Kevin's sandwich and had the napkin in his mouth. I tried to snap a picture of this goofy dog, but he runs pretty fast, though you can see the Christmas napkin in his mouth.

This afternoon, Kevin wanted to color in his bedroom insisting that the sewing machine cabinet could be moved into a better position for his purposes. sigh. Grandma is not about to cause a meltdown when we are a week away from going home... Sooo... he got his way.

Meanwhile, Grandma napped on Kevin's bed. When I awoke, Kevin announced, "I reorganized your house!" He had unplugged most of the Christmas lights: the roping on the banisters, the Christmas tree, the mantle decorations, the Christmas village, turned off several room lights, and closed my laptop -- all in the name of saving energy!!! Oh, my...

Tonight, we ate birthday dinner at our club down the street.

Daddy informed me that, as he packed Kevin's suitcase, he realized that Kevin is in desperate need of new pants, socks, and PJs. After dinner we headed to the mall. Great time to shop! NO one was there and the prices were slashed, yet we still spent over $300, but we have a well-dressed boy!

Back home with a bath before bed.

Traveling Day

After Grant and I had made our travel arrangements to and from TX, it was decided that Kevin should visit us for the week. I scrubbed my return ticket with Grant through Chicago for a ticket to NC to swoop down, nab Kevin, and bring him home with me. The plan worked great!

Steve and his brother, who is visiting for a few days from CA, delivered Kevin to the airport.

Kevin wanted to give his birthday present to me immediately.

Such a sweet boy!

Once in the airport, we ordered the pizza of Kevin's choice, then I gave him a gift from Uncle Greg and Aunt Cathi that was in my bag.

Grandma had a bag full of tricks to keep him occupied during our travel day.

In Cleveland, we had the excitement of watching the plane be de-iced!


We all arrived at the Buffalo airport within a half an hour of each other! Kevin handled his own suitcase!