We're Back!!!

I know, it has been a very long time since I've last posted and I don't have any good excuses. But I will try to be more diligent and post more often. So, what has been going on since May?

The Topolskis had a wonderful summer.  Luckily the weather cooperated and we spent a good chunk of our time in the pool.  Truman made great strides in his swimming.  By the end of the summer he was able to swim in the pool without a life jacket.  Looks like Oliver is also turning into a water baby and loves to be in the pool.  If we had known that the warm weather would have lasted into mid October, we would have probably left the pool open longer.  Oh well!

In July we celebrated Oliver's 2nd birthday.  For Olie's big day we had a small gathering with family and then headed up north for a short family vacation. Oliver's birthday present came in the form of the stomach flu, poor thing.  Despite Oliver being sick we still managed to have a nice trip together.

Next came Truman's 5th birthday at the end of August. We celebrated by having a pirate party topped off with a treasure hunt in the park. Tina made a fabulous treasure chest cake (of course). Fun was had by all. I think it was my favourite party to date.  All the kids had costumes in the form of eye patches, bandannas and tattoos! 

In September it was back to school for Truman, however,  he is now attending French Immersion. I was very hesitant about the decision, but for now I am so happy that we moved him as Truman seems to be flourishing and enjoying his new school.  The amount of French he has learned in the past few months has been amazing.  I have also been helping Truman learn how to read (in English), which at times can be quite challenging but I am very happy and proud of his progress. Truman also seems to be loving math, much like his father.

Oliver started preschool in September. He loves it and the only downfall is that he only attends two mornings a week. I am certain he would love to go every day if he could. As we turn onto the street of the school Oliver is already saying good-bye to me.   I'm so happy that the transition went so well. 

At the end of the summer we moved the two boys into the same bed. Oliver had jumped out of his crib a couple of times and we realized it was now time for Oliver to be moved into a bed. We converted Olie's crib into a toddler bed, but he had zero desire to sleep there. He was only interested in sleeping with Truman. Truman didn't seem to mind and they have been together ever since. I guess we will continue with this arrangement until it no longer works!

This takes us now to Halloween!  Oliver LOVED Halloween this year and loved is an understatement. He could have gone out all night collecting candy. I'm certain he tried each and every treat he received as I found half-eaten items in his bag. Truman too had a lot of fun but wanted to know when he could trick-or-treat on his own!!

Spring Time! Finally!

I feel like we have had an especially cold and wet spring and I am so happy to finally drop my winter jacket, hat and mittens. It has been so dreary and finally the sun has decided to shine this week. I am counting down the days until warm summer weather.

Truman started soccer again last week and he LOVES it! I love that he is on team "Berlin" as everyone knows Germany is my favourite soccer team. Poor Oliver just wants to get in on the action and play too. Although, we can distract him for a little bit if we bring him some snacks, preferably a carbohydrate.

Oliver's words are exploding lately and he is saying more and more. He is so proud when he points to an object to tell us what it is. He can count to 10 (obviously lots of mimicking from Truman?). I can't believe he is 22 months today - how can he almost be 2 years old? Where has the time gone?

And who is that in the above picture? Its North Toronto's only Jewish Easter Bunny! Lucky for us, it also happens to be my husband! This is Jerry's third appearance as the Easter Bunny in our neighbourhood's annual Easter Egg Hunt. Love it! The kids had a grand time despite the freezing cold weather and rain. What a kid wouldn't do for a little chocolate....

We spent Easter at my parents home and had our own egg hunt. Family gatherings are definitely getting a lot more hectic with so many kids on the move. But, we had so much fun! Lucky for Jerry and I, both boys fell fast asleep on the drive home.

Shame

Shame on me! Yes, I am a bad blogger...it has been ages, too long since my last post. The Topolski Family has been very busy over the past few months. Jerry had to travel to India for work so I took the opportunity and decided to join him, how could I not? We were very thankful that our parents helped to take care of the kids. Our trip had ignited our travel bug again and I am already thinking about another vacation. Maybe this time with the boys??

We recently celebrated Elliott's first birthday! How is it that he is already a year old? I still remember the day he was born, it was a very unseasonably warm March day and the sun was shining so bright. Tina, again as usual outdid herself! The theme to Elliott's party was bow ties and Tina made bow ties for each of the boys, not to mention a bow tie cake. Avery and Truman spent about three hours rough housing with Pat's cousin Reilly. I thought for sure Truman would be tuckered out and ready for a nap....but no!

Oliver wants to do EVERYTHING his big brother does. If Truman can do something (like climb, colour, sit in a big chair, dress himself) than Oliver wants to try too. Oliver can already put on his own boots, hats and mitts and attempts to zip up his jacket. Oliver is very interested in babies and strollers. Recently we were at a friends house, where he played with a baby stroller non-stop. As we were getting ready to go home, Oliver rolled the stroller up to the front door. Lucky for Oliver, Pam ad Ashu lent us the baby and stroller. It still remains one of his favourite toys to play with. Oliver also loves to sing songs, every morning he can be heard from his room singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" or some other nursery rhyme.

We recently found out that Truman got into French Immersion. so next year he will be starting SK in a new school. He is very happy about it and is telling everyone that he will be learning to speak french. It is still hard to believe that Truman will soon be finishing up JK. He continues to be very enthusiastic about school which I am very happy about.
The Topolski Family are now anxiously waiting for some warm spring weather to arrive. Some on spring!!

The (Not So) Magical Disney Trip

I don't want to sound so melodramatic here....but honestly the Topolskis don't have any luck when it comes to going to Disney World. Last year when we arrived, Florida was setting records for weather....the coldest weather Orlando has probably ever seen (OK, this is probably an exaggeration, but seriously it was so cold we never took off our winter coats, hats and mitts). So, we figured when we booked our trip this year, the weather had to be in check. The weather was lovely, perfect temperature to be at a theme park. It was just everything else that didn't go our way. I do have to say however, we will be booking again next year. Three times a charm, right?

There were a couple of glitches we had along the way and I don't want to go into all the details, but my poor husband was admitted to hospital and then under went surgery. How could this not put a damper on our vacation? Luckily, Jerry is fine and healing well and thank goodness we were travelling with another family who helped us out so much. We managed to have four fabulous days at Disney before Jerry was hospitalized and a few days after as we stayed in Florida a bit longer so Jerry could recover.

Truman's favourite park again this year was Magic Kingdom, but he had a new favourite ride "Buzz Lightyear". In fact, I started to enjoy the ride a lot too...how could I not enjoy trying to improve my score and defeat the evil Zurg. I think we went on this ride at least 20 times or more, Truman could not get enough. Truman loved the Mickey roller coaster ride so, I thought I would take him on Thunder Mountain. Oops! It was a little too fast for him. If you ask him what rides he liked best, he will say all of them, except Thunder Mountain!

Most days, we would go to a theme park in the morning and then either stay in the room for the afternoon while Oliver napped, or I would take Truman to Epcot since it was walking distance from our hotel. It was nice having the one on one time with Truman and he seemed to really enjoy it too. The only theme park we didn't quite understand was Hollywood Studios...we spent about a half hour there one morning and left for Epcot. I think it may be more interesting to older children???

Oliver became such a toddler on this trip. His favourite word was "walk" as he rarely wanted to stay in the stroller or in my arms. He wanted to walk with the other big boys and be in on the action. He loved the rides (especially Dumbo and the Magic Carpet). He also became infatuated with Rebecca. He wanted to hold her hand when they walked or be carried by her. Oliver was amazing on both flights (although he refused to sleep). He is becoming very proficient in letting us know what he wants. Let me tell you, my boy has a stubborn streak no matter how sweet he can be!

We are happy to be home and we are looking forward to a (more) magical Disney trip next year! Who's in?

Happy Merry

Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that it is already 2011! Where did 2010 go? We started last year with a trip to Disney World, which I have to say was probably one of the best vacations I had been on, despite the freezing temperatures. I was a huge skeptic, but honestly, it was amazing just watching the joy on Truman's face for an entire week! Our life became a little more hectic upon our return as Jerry started a long trial that lasted until May. We rewarded ourselves with another trip, this time to Atlantis. This trip too was unbelievable and we had a fabulous time relaxing in the sun.

This past summer we anxiously awaited the arrival of our Belgian relatives and spent a wonderful few days at Geneva Park with more family and friends that travelled from Vancouver, Calgary and Windsor. Truman and Joachim were inseparable and we cannot wait to reunite them soon. We are hoping sometime this summer.

Truman started JK in September and loves being in school. He especially loves doing his homework (yeah!). Oliver started crawling, then walking and now talking. Although he is extremely sweet, he does have a hot temper that shows itself now and again! Hard to believe I know, but let me tell you that he threw our iPad recently when he didn't get his way!

The biggest change for me, was making the decision to stay home with the boys and not return to work. I have to say that it was the best decision I have ever made and I am so thankful for spending everyday with them. Although, the last few months have been difficult and challenging at times, our family life has become easier.

This year, we also welcomed a new member to our family, little baby Elliott! I have been very blessed to have been able to spend this last year with my sister while she has been on maternity leave. I can't tell you the amount of hours we have been able to spend together weekly, and I will cherish the times with my adorable nephew.

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents home with the O'Brien clan as per usual. It just wouldn't be Christmas without waking up together and heading downstairs to open up the gifts Santa left for us. This year, Truman was particularly excited about Santa. It took him an awful long time to get to sleep and he kept coming downstairs to check things out (and to make sure that Avery too was sleeping). I thought it would have been more hectic having four boys in the house under one roof for two days, but it was quite manageable. Trips to the park seemed to help! We just have to get my father to work on the basement so that we have a place to throw them as they get older!

In November I lost someone very dear to me and I wanted to take the time to say good-bye and acknowledge her. Although, I was not related to Lilly, I always considered her (more than) my aunt. She is an amazing woman, someone I will always remember. If you met her, you know she is hard to forget! I have always held her close to my heart. I will and do love and miss her greatly.

I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! I hope that 2011 brings you much joy and happiness!