New .blog Site Address

For many of my tech following readers may know Automattic, my employer, is behind the new domain extension .blog. The .blog domains were just recently released to be generally available to anyone who would like to register one. If you would like to, you can over at https://get.blog

Yesterday the activation was finished and I setup my new address for my blog here. Automattic allowed each employee to reserve a domain name and I thought long and hard about it. I came close to asking for sandy.blog because it’s nice and short. But I already have a pretty nice short domain name of sandym.ca which also redirects people here. So instead I opted for a more useful domain and received mcfadden.blog

This allows me to also create sub domains so that others in my family, if they wanted to start their own blog, could have a fantastic domain name too. Because I have access to mcfadden.blog I can now setup sub domains like https://sandy.mcfadden.blog/ which is the main address I’m using for this site now. Maybe my kids want to start blogging some day, I can then set them up with theirname.mcfadden.blog if they wish. Last night we switched my wife’s address for her site over so that it is now https://jen.mcfadden.blog/

I’m pumped to have this new domain for my blog, thank you Automattic!

Day 6 Christmas Note

Today’s note was pretty good timing as Ella and I just went out yesterday for our Christmas shopping date. We had a great time and it is obviously building good memories for her as we hadn’t had one yet this year when she wrote this note for me.

Dad. Thank you for taking us out on shopping dates I love spending time with you. I love that we have our weekends full with fun activities. Its fun to go around and spend time with our family. I thank you that you and mom plan out our weekend so we have something new and fun every day I love you so much ❤️ xoxo ❤️

Thanks for reading Sincerely Ella ❤️ xoxo

Day 6 Christmas Note

Very Modest

Ella and I went out on a Christmas shopping date today. When we were sitting having a treat I tried sneaking a picture of her. She asked if I just took a picture of her but I jokingly denied it. She came and looked at my phone and I showed her the pictures I took. She gave me a bit of an irritate look so I explained I just couldn’t help it she’s so cute. Her response:

Well you got that part right!

Day 4 Christmas Note

It was my day to take a note from the 12 days calendar Ella brought home from school. Reading these are making me feel pretty good, but also giving me some things to think about. From this note I think I need to do a better job showing that I enjoy spending time with them no matter where we are or go.

Yeah McDonald’s might not be my choice of a restaurant to go to, but we eat out so little that if they want to go there I’m OK with it.

Dad. Thank you for fixing everything thats broken in the house (for example the TV) and thank your for taking us out I love spending time with you and I also love that when we get in the car to go home after school you ask us whats the best part about our day. I love being able to tell you what was wonderfull, silly and sad about my day.

Thank you for everything that you do cause I know some places that you take us you don’t do and you take us there because of us you wouldn’t be there if you went somewhere with me, Caile or Noah. So I think you for taking us to those places even if you don’t enjoy them or get to play where ever we are. So I’m thanking you as much as I can.

Day 4 Note

Christmas Notes

Yesterday our youngest daughter Ella came home from school with a twelve days of Christmas calendar. Each day has a note in it whose recipient alternates between Jen and I. Yesterday was Day 1 and had a note for Jen. Today was a note for me. Jen warned me hers made her cry so I was at least a bit prepared.

My family is pretty sweet and I’m very lucky to have them. Here’s a transcription of the note she gave me today, just as it was hand written. ❤️

Dad I wanted to tell you how glad I am that your my dad. I don’t know what I would do without you. I’m so thankfull that I get this time to tell you that your the best dad I could ever have your the best dad in the world.

I don’t know if I ever told you how much I miss you when you leave for work and I hope you know that how ever long you leave for we’ll always be glad that your coming home. If I could wish for something it would be to have more wish’s but one of my wish’s would be for everyone to have the same sense of humor as you. I love when you tease me and I want you to know that how ever far away you are when you go for work I’ll always love you the same amount.

Thank you for always being there for me. I love you so much dad xoxo

Day 2 Note

Friends Christmas Party

Last night we had our annual friends gift exchange party. We have an awesome group of close friends and there are a lot of kids in the mix. We decided a number of years back we’d draw names so each kid bought one small gift for one of the other kids.

The best part of this though isn’t the gifts it’s the time we get together with each other to celebrate, eat to much food and treats, and watch the kids open all the gifts.

Ella received the game Pie in the Face Showdown so her and Noah tested it out today. She was pretty thrilled getting to pie her brother!

 

 

Christmas Decorating

We went hunting for Christmas tree this morning and found a really great one. We tried a new tree farm this year and had a wonderful experience. Stomping through the trees with family and friends, watching a rabbit hop past us looking for cover.There were many to choose from but we finally found just the right one.

Once we had the tree the kids all had some hot chocolate and a home made cookie. If you’re from the Annapolis Valley I would certainly recommend checking out Shepherd Family Christmas Trees.

This afternoon Jen rushed around getting the house lit up, then this evening getting the lights and sinamay on the tree. One of my favourite things to sit and take in the glowing light and smell of spruce filling the room.

Decorated house at night

Stop Motion Homework

Tonight for homework Caile worked on creating a stop motion video. It shows the destruction of an ecosystem by fire, and then the growth of it back up again.

I thought it turned out pretty well so I wanted to share it.

Happy Birthday Tiffany!

Today is my oldest sisters birthday! I’d make fun of her for getting old, but seeing as I’m her older brother that probably wouldn’t work very good.

We had a fun time celebrating her with her tonight and trying to recreate her first birthday. Here she is at age 1 and then some years after that 😉

tiffany-now-then-3tiffany-now-then-2tiffany-now-then-1

Noah and Daddy Time

The past few days Noah and I have been able to spend quite a bit of time together. We started the weekend out with Saturday morning basketball. This is his second year in basketball but we switched this year to a new program. This one is part of Jr NBA which includes each kid getting their own smaller basketball and NBA team T-Shirt. Noah got to choose between OKC Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Golden State Warriors, he choose the Spurs. There were also the Toronto Raptors to choose from, but they were gone by the time Noah choose. The parents don’t always get involved but this time I did. We practised chest passing back and forth and had a fun game where we had to pass our way across the gym.

We spent most of the rest of Saturday painting Noah’s room. We swapped rooms with Alexandria and let Noah choose a new wall colour. The room was previously pink and blue, two walls of each, Noah kept the blue and choose a green, clean n crisp, for the other two walls. I’m not a fan of painting and for some reason it took us four coats to cover the pink over. In the end he was very happy though so it makes it worth it.

Sunday afternoon he and I went out together on a bit of a shopping date. Each year we take the kids out to pick out Christmas presents for their siblings. It’s pretty early this year to get started but we had an afternoon free and the weeks seem to fly by, so we decided to just do it. When we were done shopping we stopped for a treat of his choice at Tim Hortons.

Noah seems to be really liking math and numbers lately, especially number patterns. The one he really likes is the power of twos. He doesn’t really know what that is but he starts out with 2 + 2, then 4 + 4, then 8 + 8 etc. Tonight he went on sticky notes up to 2^13 (4096 + 4096 = 8192). It seemed to be the perfect opportunity to teach him my cell phone number which ends in 2^10. He was pretty impressed with that and it’s one of the reasons it’s my favourite number I’ve ever had.

Treat at Tim Hortons
New Basketball and Shirt
Celebrating painting done with a coffee