Christmas Pics

Merry Christmas!

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope your holiday is filled with fun and laughter, family and friends, and let's not forget the delicious food! Merry Christmas!

Let the fun begin!

Today marks the beginning of a busy week. It's almost Christmas! I'm like a big kid this time of year. I get excited about all the gatherings and gettin up Christmas morning with my children and husband and watching them open their presents. I get so excited that I usually have a hard time sleeping the night before, and sleeping in is out of the question. I've always loved Christmas. The food, the presents, the time spent with family, but most of all remembering God's gift to us, His son!

So today I will start my day by taking my children to my husband's aunt's house. This is one of their favorite places to go. (both grandma's and Jordan's house are also among their favorite places to go) Then I will head off to have lunch with a couple of friends. Hi Leanne and Sonya! We used to work together and every time Leanne comes home we meet for lunch. I'm looking forward to seeing them again! After lunch I am heading in to the city with Tiffany, my sister Janice, and my mom. I finally get to have my shopping day out. I've been waiting ever so patiently! And what great company to be in when I do go!

And the way my boys are already fighting this morning, I can't wait for 11:00!

More to come.... just not today!

Where on earth have I been?

I don't know.

I should have lots of blogging material, it's Christmas time right? Parties and church functions and family gatherings. A time when a lot is going on and yet I haven't sat down to put my thoughts down. My excuse? I'm trying to come up with one right now and nothing seems good enough. I could say my kids keep me busy, but they do go to bed and I could do it then. I could blame Tiffany for getting me hooked on the Typer Shark game, but I could drop it for a few minutes to write something down. I could say that I've just been busy, which at times would be true, but not that busy. I really have nothing. No excuses. I apologize.

I'll be back, soon.

Wordless Wednesday

My latest problem!

I have a huge urge to go shopping! As you all know it's Christmas shopping time. As it turns out, I'm basically finished my shopping except for maybe a couple of little things, which normally would be great. The problem? I haven't actually gone out and had my day of Christmas shopping. I've just been picking up things here and there and now I have basically nothing left to shop for. And I really want to go shopping. I want to spend some time at the mall and my favorite box stores, and then go for lunch, maybe a movie in the evening.

I guess the solution to this problem is to go out shopping for myself (buy myself some Christmas presents) and do lunch and a movie. Now the next problem. A girl can't go by herself!

Happy Birthday Jamin!

Happy 4th Birthday Jamin!

Can anybody tell me where the last 4 years went? I never dreamed they would go by this fast. My little boy is already in Nursery School and next fall he's going to go to Kindergarten. It just seems like they grow up so fast, too fast. But I am very proud of the boy he's growing up to be. He is such a blessing in our lives and I am so very thankful to God for the family I've been given!

We love you so much Jamin!

Now, for a few party pics!







Looks like a couple of little boys enjoyed the cake!



What is it with boxes?



Grandparents!

It was a great day. Jamin had lots of fun and I hope that everyone else did as well! Thank you all for coming and sharing his day with him!

My Goal

As you can see I've added a ticker to my blog. My goal is to walk 200 miles by the end of March. I think it's a reasonable goal. I want to keep active during my pregnancy for a couple of reasons. One reason being that I don't want to gain a whole pile of weight, and the other being that I believe that it may help with labor. I was fairly active during my last pregnancy and labor went much better than the first time.

So here goes....

The results are in!

This morning we found out we are having a boy! It is so wonderful knowing what we are having. I am thrilled we are having another boy. I love my two boys so incredibly much and I just can't wait to meet this little guy. It's really neat too. They gave us a few pictures, a CD with even more pictures and a DVD with the ultrasound session on it. I've played it a couple of times now and I love seeing him move around and kick. It's so amazing how much you can love a little guy you've never even met. Now we just need to come up with a name. And no, we're not naming him Ralph.

amazing

I saw my baby. Yesterday I had an ultrasound. I've had ultrasounds before, when I was pregnant with each of my two boys. And I could have a hundred of them and each time it would be equally amazing. I got to see my little "peanut" wiggle around and even kick me, see his/her heart beating and hands moving. I can't describe what it's like to see that and to feel the baby moving. It's also amazing at how much I already love this baby. I've never met him/her, but I know that our new baby will bring us so much joy (and sleep deprivation) and that he or she will be loved so much. I am so thankful, for all the blessings in my life.

What will it be?

This Friday I have my ultrasound to find out if I'm going to have a boy or a girl. So I thought it would be interesting to do a poll to see what everyone out there thinks the baby will be. So please, feel free to vote on my poll.

Thanks for voting!

Tiggers and Dragons, oh my!

I know you've been waiting so patiently, it's been a busy week

This past week has been pretty busy for me. Well, busy for my world. I usually spend most of my time at home with my kids so for me, this was busy. Here's a brief summary:

Last Monday we celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday. Her birthday was actually Tuesday but due to a concert, we visited with them on Monday.

Tuesday was the concert. My boys went to my mom's place for the night.

Wednesday I went to my mom and dad's to pick up the boys, and then we spent the day there.

Thursday, I spent the afternoon with Tiffany while Jamin and Jordan went to nursery school. Thursday evening, Jeff's aunt, sister and I took my mother-in-law out for supper for her birthday.

Friday was Halloween and Jamin and I went out trick-or-treating.

Saturday we were invited to our friends place for a party. It was a great evening, playing games and eating a tonne of delicious food.

Sunday we went to my in-law's for lunch to celebrate my father-in-laws birthday. It was also my brother-in-law Sheldon's birthday but they couldn't be there. And last but not least, last night we went for supper to celebrate my sister Tracey's 40th birthday.

It was a really great week. I enjoy being busy. I'm just still really full from all the food I've consumed over the past week.

So I just want to say again to everyone I mentioned, Happy Birthday! I hope you had fantastic birthdays!

note: pictures of halloween costumes to come, hopefully today.

The Concert

Tuesday night, Jeff and I went to the Celine Dion concert in Winnipeg. Let me just tell you that it was absolutely FABULOUS! You know how some people don't sound so good live as they do on their CD? Well, she's definately not one of those. She sounded every bit as good at the concert as she does on any CD I own. I have never heard anything quite like it. Probably the best concert I've ever been to, even though we sat in the very last row of the place. We could still see everything just fine.

She had this guy, Gordy Brown (i think), open for her. He's a headliner at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Las Vegas, doing impersonations and stuff. He too was very good.

And thanks to Jeff for being such a good sport about coming with me. Let's just say it wasn't his kind of music. So thanks again!

A list of things that probably won't interest you much...

I have to apologize to anyone who has been waiting patiently (or not so patiently)for me to write something new. I don't have any great news to write about so I'll just let you in on a few things:

1. I'm having a baby, not today, but sometime

2. I've been debating on whether or not to pay for an ultrasound in which I can find out the sex of my baby. You see, I really want to know the sex, but they won't tell you in Portage and I'm unable to go to the one place in Winnipeg that will tell you. So, if I want to know, I have to pay. That being said, I made my appointment yesterday. Whether or not I will keep this appointment is yet to be determined.

3. Keeping with the "I'm pregnant" theme, the thing I dislike about getting pregnant is knowing that I WILL gain weight. And, as my clothes are quickly getting tighter and tighter, I've resorted to getting out the maternity pants. Have I ever told you how much I hate maternity pants. As comfortable as they are when they stay up, they don't stay up. And, no belt loops. Try getting a belt for an expanding belly. I also just hate gaining weight. I know you're supposed to when you are pregnant, but I don't like it just the same.

4. My boys are loud. Either that or my house is small. I love them to pieces anyway.

5. I finally hung the pictures of my boys that were taken last year around this time. They look fantastic. I don't know what took me so long. I think it was the lack of picture frames, but thanks to Dollarama I have 3 picture frames for $3.00. How great is that? And they were just what I wanted, believe it or not.

6. My bathroom still isn't finished. Although, it's looking pretty good. At least I have a bathtub with a working shower, a toilet and a working sink. Life is pretty good. Thanks Jeff (and my dad, and Jeff's dad)

7. On Tuesday I'm going to a Celine Dion concert. I've had these tickets for a year, maybe more. So, the day is finally near. It's going to be awesome!

8. I haven't started my Christmas shopping. Well, not really. I ordered something online, but that's it. I love Christmas, and I wanted to get my shopping done early. I guess I should get on that.

A poem

I have something exciting to tell you.

Will it be pink or will it be blue.

I don't know either because they won't tell me. (sorry, that's where the poem ends)

I am very happy to announce that we are going to have another baby, sometime at the end of March. As Jamin would say, the baby is going to pop out of my tummy. So that's my news!

Update

Daddy's little helper







Still some work left to do but we're definately making progress. I hope to show you pictures of a finished bathroom soon!

Quinn and Lyla!

Congratulations to our friends Lyla and Quinn who were married yesterday. It was a beautiful day! We wish you all the best as you begin your married life together!



Some old friends, together again!



Today is my dear friend Tracey's birthday! I hope you have a fantastic day! Eat lots of cake. I would if I had some.

Jeff wins, and I'm not sure why!

I was going to write about how Heather likes to cheat at board games, but I thought I'd be nice so I'll write about her wonderful hairdressing abilities instead!

Last night we were all at my in-laws for supper. It was a good time and good food that's for sure. After supper we played a game, which I will not tell you about, and then Heather got out the scissors and the line-up for haircuts began. So, she asked who's first and Jeff piped up and said Aaron. After much debating and me glaring at him, Jeff won and Aaron got his very first haircut. It was a sad moment for me, as now he looks more like a little boy than a baby. But, to Heather's credit, she did a great job, of both the boys. Maybe when I get my camera out, I'll take a picture and you can see how cute they look. So thanks Heather for the great haircuts and for saving us $20.

So exhausted!

If you couldn't tell by the title, I'm tired. It all started a few weeks ago, but the worst happened on Thursday night. My son Aaron woke up at midnight. I fought to get him back to sleep and finally at 2:30 he gave in, only to wake up an hour later. I think by 4:00 or shortly after he was asleep. My son Jamin has a cold, so he was waking up on and off because of his coughing. I think by 5:00 I finally got to sleep.

Last night, we got home a bit late, so the boys were in bed around 10:00. Only about an hour past their bedtime. Jamin slept fine, except for a coughing fit he had around 10:30. Aaron decided to wake up, and I'm not sure exactly what time but I think somewhere around 5:30. I've been fighting with him ever since to get back to sleep.

I know, some will say "just let him cry". I tried. He screams until he's coughing and sounding like he's going to throw up. He's my good sleeper. I don't know what's wrong. When he wakes up you can tell he's tired, but it's almost like he can't sleep.

So, I'm not sure what to do. I don't know if there's something wrong with him, or if it's a phase, or he's teething (really really badly). He's fine during the day. I guess we'll see how the next few nights go.

End of Day 3

Yes, the toilet seat is yellow. We forgot to buy a white one, so this will have to do. For now.



It works too!





So that's probably it for a while. Jeff has to go back to work. At least we have a toilet and a bathtub. Kind of important when you only have one bathroom!

End of Day 1

The bathtub... or where it used to be.

Goodbye

I'll keep you posted.....

Happy birthday!

As many of you may know, today is Steven's 30th birthday! What some of you may not know is that today is also Tiffany's birthday. While, she may not be turning 30 yet (I'll let you know when she does), it is still a very important day.

So, Happy Birthday Tiffany and Steven. We wish you so much happiness and many many more years celebrating your birthday together!

Love you lots!

Hes..... the copycat!

So I went to girls night last night, and who walks in with the exact same hairdo as me? You guessed it, Hes. If anyone has read her blog recently, you will notice that she tried to pin the blame on me. I do believe that I got my hair done a week and a half ago, and she got hers done on Tuesday. So who copied who?

Okay, so the hairdo isn't exactly the same. She has layers and bangs and it's a bit shorter than mine, but the color? Identical. We go to the same hairdresser. But it's okay though, we just can't go anywhere in public together for a while. lol.

It's not the best picture, but I was taking the picture myself. That and it's not the best hairday or the best model.

15 years

Congratulations to my sister-in-law Heather and her husband Sheldon.
Today they have been married 15 years. We wish you many more years of happiness together. Congrats!

By the way Heather, you're still not allowed to move away!

And I thought walking was good for you

I am normally very faithful with using my treadmill (or machine of death as I sometimes call it), but in the past month, or possibly two, I've not been so faithful. So I decided that September was the month to get back into it. Monday night I got on it and I walked for about half an hour. Let's just say that since then I've been in, at times, quite a bit of pain. And it's not the usual sore legs, it's my back. I have no idea what I did, but it hurts.

I didn't have anything else to write about, so I thought I would just complain for a minute. I'm done now.

First day of School!

Today was Jamin's first day of Nursery school! It was a happy/sad kind of day. I'm thrilled that he gets to go, and the school we put him in seems really wonderful. I just have a hard time letting my "baby" go. He's grown so incredibly fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that he was in fact a baby. But, as he likes to tell me, he's not a baby anymore.

And, it's not so much that nursery school makes me sad. I just know what comes next year. Kindergarten, then grade one, and so it goes from there. I don't get him all to myself anymore. So, as I am very happy that he is going to have lots of fun and play with and make new friends and learn so much, I just can't help but feel a little twinge of sadness. I'll be fine though. I am however, incredibly proud of this little man of ours. He's such a good kid and a great joy in our lives. We love you Jamin!





Jamin and his cousin Jordan! I'm also thrilled that the two of them get to experience Nursery School together. How great is that!

Mike and Jody

Congratulations to our friends Mike and Jody who were married this past Friday! It was a beautiful wedding and the bride looked absolutely amazing! We are so happy for the two of you and wish you many many years together!



Mike (the groom), my husband Jeff (also the best man) and Vince (friend of both from high school)



I realized when I was posting about our anniversary that I didn't have any current pictures of me and Jeff together. I guess after we had children, it became about them and not so much about us. At least when it came to taking pictures. So here is one, although don't look too close (at me that is).

8 years already!

8 years ago today, I married the love of my life! And what a journey we've been on ever since. So much has changed since that day in August 8 years ago, but one thing that hasn't is how much I love him. He's a great husband, father, and friend. You should see how our boys adore him. They always come running when he walks in the door. And you can see how much he loves them. They're always playing and wrestling, and he's always teaching them and showing them new things. I have been so blessed in my life and I thank God for the family He has given me.

Thank you Jeff, for always standing by me, for providing for us so I can stay home with our boys, and for always loving me, no matter what. Happy Anniversary! I hope we have many many more years together. I love you!

It's a Boy!!!

Welcome baby Mitchell!
Congratulations Steven and Tiffany, Jordan and Tennyson.
He is such an adorable and wonderful addition to your family!
We wish you all the best and many many blessings!

Love you lots!

Summer Travels

Where to start. The last couple of weeks have been busy for us. 2 weeks ago today, my husband and I ventured out to Florida to pick up our new truck. We had a good trip, but a tiring trip. In four days we drove over 2000 miles. Needless to say, we didn't have a whole lot of time for sight-seeing. Just whatever we could see from our truck. Here are some of the things we saw while we were away!



Dinosaur in the Chicago Airport



Gulf of Mexico



Some boats and water



Mountains, small ones



Nashville, Tennessee
I've always wanted to go to Nashville. I just wish we would have had more time so we could stop and see things. Oh well, next time.



A Bed and Breakfast. We did not stay here, I just thought it was pretty.



Let me explain. There was a sign that said "Mississippi River". I aimed my camera ready to take a picture, and this was what we saw. I was, as you could imagine, a little disappointed at it's size.



We drove a little further. This is the real Mississippi.

Not much more to see after this. It starts to look a lot like home. Some hills. But you all know what a hill looks like.

After we returned from Florida, we had to get ready and leave for Moose Jaw the very next day. So, we spent about 12 hours at home and off we went again. I'll leave the details of our Moose Jaw trip for the next post.