.~. Little Skowsas .~.

Day Two

2011-07-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

I wasn't really looking forward to today b/c Rich wrecked his knee on Tuesday and I didn't think he would be able to go out and walk around any type of Canada Day festivities. Up until Tuesday I was thinking that we could bike around Stanley Park BUT since then I figured maybe I would take the kids out by myself. Well, Rich surprised me and decided last night that he could get around the Fort at Fort Langley. SO, the day started out with sleeping in (you'll notice a trend here I'm sure) and then finishing up the house while Rich worked on our deck. We ate a early lunch and then went off to the fort.

Today was the opposite of yesterday - I thought the day would be blah with us not going out as a family but instead we had a great time. We went to the fort - the kids panned for gold and Aiden found a little piece. They had a great time "building" a fort and of course loved feeding the animals. We then moved onto the langley centennial museum and they loved that b/c there were more animals to pet, races to be raced, balloons to be given and a yummy FREE candy stick. We stopped for slushies for the kids and frappicinos for Rich and I. So good. We bbqed salmon burgers and the kids ended the night with a watergun fight. Of course they had have a quick shower at the end to warm up b/f pjs. Now Rich and I are going to watch the Social Network. A great second day.

Day One

2011-07-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation has been greatly anticipated in this household. By the time June rolls around I'm done with activities, lunches, schedules, and gettting up and out the door in time for school.

Ahh, so today was our first day off and well it didn't go quite as expected. I had it all planned out - the kids would get to watch some morning cartoons and then play double computer/wii time (big deal in our home)as I cleaned the house. I had made sure the grocery shopping was all done b/f school let out but the house didn't have a chance to get clean. It started off great - I got to sleep in, the kids got to relax and then it was time for a bath. Three kids were in the bath - I go to wash them when the youngest one tells me that one of her brothers peed on the side of the tub. Well, that just put a bit of a damper on the day - the boy wouldn't say why he did it and then when he did I he told me two different stories. It doesn't go over well in this house when I know one of the kids is lying to me. Anyhow we got that eventually sorted out and moved on - we go to the library and one boy decides that one of his brothers is annoying him so he slaps him in the face. Not hard but that's still another big nono in our house. Fortunately the day slowly improved and ended on a high note.

We had decided earlier to go see Cars 2. We have airmile coupons so since it cost us nothing to go as a treat we bought burgers and pizza for dinner at the theatre. We all thoroughly enjoyed the movie - even Callia, who is three, sat thru this one way better than Kung Fu Panda. The boys loved the action and there was some humour in it too for us adults. It didn't resemble the first one at all but we still enjoyed it. Christian asked if we could buy it. I think we will.

Day one didn't go quite as expected - who expects their school aged child to pee on the side of the tub? He did do a great job a of washing all the toys that could have been near pee. I didn't get the house cleaned fully - that's what tomorrow is for BUT we did have a great family night out.

Livin' in a big kid world but....

2010-01-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

I have to remember that I have little kids too. Today was one of those rare days when I had nothing to do or at least no where to go. I was wondering what to do so that Christian wouldn't get bored when I thought of going for a walk. This was after we watched Backyardigans (free right now on Nick.) and painted a couple of snow pictures. So we bundled up and off we went. It was as he was riding and Callia was in the stroller that I started thinking about how our life is so geared for the older two. Our schedule revolves around driving to and from school and their activities - Callia's nap must fit in b/w lunch and school pick up. I realized that I need to make more time for walks with the younger two and instead of just breathing a sigh of relief when I don't have to take them out shopping I could take them to the park to play with all the other little ones. We go to the park tons in the summer and spring but I forget that moms who don't run to and from school still take their kids out in the cooler months so that they can get out of the house. However, saying all that I feel like I do play more with C and C at home b/c I realize that all too quickly they are off and running to kindergarten. Life is so calm with the two little ones home - it's as they get bigger that life gets so hectic - too bad I didn't realize that when I only had two in total!:)

Looking back

2010-01-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

Hey there - are you out there???? Anyone???? I wasn't thinking too much about the coming year until I read someones blog about it being the end of a decade and that got me thinking. I can still remember 1999 and the whole Y2K thing. It has been a fantastic decade - with many surprises and life changing events. Let's see what happened:
2000 - Rich and I were married - went to Disney for our honeymoon
2001 - Rich and I lead a missions trip to Russia. We bought our first house and Ethan was born
2003- Aiden was born and I was officially done any type of work outside of our home
2004- Visited family in San Antonio Texas
2005- Christian was born
2007- Went on a road trip to Edmonton, went to England
2008- Callia was born, went to Disneyland
2009- We bought our second home
Phew - it was a decade of major events and talking with Rich we figure that the coming decade will just be life - it'll be busy with the four kids but as far as we can see no major events. Though, we totally realize that there will be major things happening but we just don't know about them again. I'm excited to see what God has in store for us as our family grows up over the next ten years. It's weird to think that when another decade is done we'll have kids who are 18, 16, 14 and 11 and I'll be past the forty mark. One of our dreams is to take the kids to Uganda when they're teens and that's always seemed so far off but I guess we better start planning b/c it's going to take place in the next decade! So, here's to another decade and to a new year. May yours be full of delightful surprises and when the not so delightful ones pop up may you find strength thru Jesus!

We're Moving!

2009-08-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

It finally happened at the end of June - we sold. We said that we would give our place till the end of June to sell and I think that the sale went thru June 25th- if it had fallen thru like our previous deals we would have been finished but it didn't!! We refused to go looking for houses until everything on our place went thru - it sold on a Friday and we went looking Saturday morning. There were only two houses in our area that we could see - one we were hoping would work out but it would have required too much money to do what needed to be done so we went off to the second one. Actually at the second one the lady wouldn't let us in b/c she didn't know we had an appointment and asked us to come back on Sunday(not a good move, just do a five minute tidy and let people in or they may never come back) so we went off to the third. I wasn't sure of it at first b/c I could see that behind the house was stores and since one of our biggest problems about selling our place was that you could see IGA right behind us I wasn't interested in more stores - I wanted green space ideally or at least other houses. Anyways, while waiting for the other realtor to let us in we walked to the backyard and LOVED it. There were tall trees on the other side of the fence so you couldn't see the buildings right behind (plus they are apartments, so houses), we loved the size of the yard - the biggest one we had seen in our area since looking in September. It had a trampoline and a play centre. The outside of the house looked nice - except for the roof that looked ready to leak at any moment so we weren't sure what to expect on the inside. We were pleasantly surprised when we walked in - the people had updated the main floor wonderfully - it didn't look 21 years old. It had a family room, living room, dining room, bathroom and laundry room on the main floor and then three bedrooms and a games room upstairs. One of the houses we had put an offer on back in Feb. had a games room upstairs and we loved that idea but hadn't seen a house like that since. So we knew that the house had had an offer on Wed. and that they had two or three more people coming to see it later that day so we wrote an offer on it right away and it was ACCEPTED!! We were so excited as houses in our area were starting to go in one day, have bidding wars and go above asking price.

That brings us up to today. We have been busy decluttering and packing over the last few weeks and tomorrow morning we get the keys!!!! We CANNOT wait!! Tomorrow we are cleaning the carpets upstairs and painting Callia's room. The boys room is a Canucks room with a very well done hockey mural on it so it's going to be left. We'll paint the rest of the house as needed but the colours are perfectly fine for right now.

I am so excited to have a yard for the kids to play in and for a quiet dead end street for them to ride their bikes on. I am most excited that their toys will not have a permanent home in my kitchen but in the toy room upstairs - I know that they'll spill over into the rest of the house but at least my kitchen isn't their permanent home. I'm looking forward to having an extra eating area (however, it may be bare for quite awhile). I'm looking forward to having friends over and the kids playing on a different floor. I'm looking forward to making our own decisions regarding our home and not having strata telling us what we can and cannot do. I'm just looking forward to more space!

However, there are some things I'm a little sad about. The biggest one is not being able to walk to school. I think it's great to be able to walk to school - gets energy out, fresh air, good for the old environment, nice to chat with moms waiting at the door but there was not one house within walking distance for sale. Weird, since that was something we prayed about so I guess it wasn't meant to be. I am happy that when it is pouring rain I can just dump them off at the curb and we don't all have to get soaking wet and on snow days we'll just stay home! On sunny days we may park at our old complex and walk with our friends. I'm also sad about leaving some of our neighbours. Who am I going to call up when I'm half way done a recipe and have run out of something? Who will the kids play with when they go outside? We've had tonnes of good memories in our home - all of our kids have been born here (not literally here but you get my point), we've made so many memories. I get little sad when I think that Christian and Callia won't even remember this place - oh well, we'll make lots of new memories in the new house.

Anyways, that's the reason I haven't written on this blog - been busy packing either for holidays or for moving. Gotta run and get ready for the day!

Busy, Busy!

2009-06-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

So two mornings ago I woke up and decided to check our freezer b/c our fridge had been making a funny noise. I discovered that our freezer had defrosted and everything was thawed. So, I got dressed and by 7:10am I was barb bqueing 16 chicken thighs. After that I bbqed 12 pork chops and made taco meat out of 1 lb of beef. Oh, I also cleaned everything out of the freezer, got myself and four kids ready for school and out the door by 8:30. I got home from dropping two kids off and made a curry out of stewing beef and stuck that in the crock pot. By 10 am all the meat was cooked, packed up and put away in our downstairs freezer. Thankfully the Sears dude came out and was gone by just after 10am. Then me and the two kids went to a local farm to pick up a yummy strawberry pie for my mom's bday (thankfully hubby was able to pick up my mom's present, since the appliance man delayed me). At the farm I asked if the strawberries would be around till next week - nope, I asked if they would at least be here till the weekend and they said, "we hope but not sure" - so I ended up buying 15 lbs of strawberries. I went to a store and bought stuff to make jam and a pie and then went to pick up Aiden fr. kindergarten. Came home fed three kids and a half hour later walked back to get Ethan. Phew! The afternoon was supposed to be spent cleaning the house since we had a home inspection the next day but instead I was cutting up strawberries and the kids were mushing them. I made jam, washed a lot to freeze and stuck some in the fridge just to eat - I think the pies are not going to happen. Went out for dinner with my family - YUM! and then they all came back for a game and pie. When they left I tidied up and cleaned the kitchen.
Day two - of busy,busy. B/c I bought those stinken strawberries, which really are stinken but very yummy I had to clean everything else by noon. So, with Callia down for a morning nap and the boys either watching a movie or playing computer games I cleaned. All I could think about was whether or not this deal goes thru on the house this is the LAST time I have to clean my place for someone coming to look at my home! By noon, the house was cleaned, the kids were dressed (so was I), picnic lunch packed and we were on our way to the zoo. Ahhh, the insanity was over. We had great time at the zoo - there for about three hours. Came home read, played outside, Rich got dinner together (not too hard since all the meat is precooked) and life was good. Oh, after dinner I then went out to Costco to shop and on the way home from that found out that our house sold!!!! YIPPEEEEE
Now, today we get to go and look at houses and there is no more "IF we sell our place" it is sold. We can go and buy whatever we love. So, fingers crossed and more importantly a lot of prayer later we are hoping to find the perfect house for us!! Exciting!!

It is finished!

2009-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it's all done folks -I have officially finished nursing my last bambino. Out of the last 7years and 8 months I have been nursing for four years and almost 2months and I am now done. It's not something I've totally loved doing - it was so hard with the first babe and for the first few days hard with each of the others - I never fully knew if any of them were getting enough, or when they were done (newborn stage) but they somehow all did get enough. Sometimes it was inconvenient, sometimes painful and sometimes never ending. BUT those are four years I would never do differently - the "drunk" look each one gives when completely satisfied, touching my cheek with their little hands, looking up at me and smiling as milk dribbled out of their mouths, holding my fingers, knowing this was what was best for the babies and really best for me made it all so worth it. As I think of having no more babies I often think but "oh, when I have grandkids I'll have a baby to cuddle, spoil, change, walk, sooth but I'll never ever nurse again - it really is finished. Callia was the best nurser - she never went thru a "didn't want to nurse stage" - she loved it right to the end. In fact she was the longest nurser at almost 14 months - she was hard to ween, she threw tantrums in the afternoon when it was time to nurse, she was miserable until I did nurse her again but over this past week we've gone from two feeds to one to now none and she is now fine - no tantrums, she gladly accepts her sippy cup. I already miss the cuddles b/c with busy mornings it's much easier to give her the cup then to sit and cuddle her. But we'll cuddle at other times. She was so funny with her nursing over the last couple of months - she would try to sit up, and she would lay in any position possible and hey unlike Ethan she never bit me! At 12 months I was sad thinking about nursing ending, even though I didn't love it but at 14 months I'm fine with it. I looking forward to dumping the nursing bras (maybe I'll keep one), buying something new and being able to get away for a night or two with a baby!! YAHOO!

Housing Dilemna....

2009-05-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

We've almost done it - our place is almost sold. We have an accepted offer on the place and the subjects are removed on Sunday -only three more days - whooowhoo! Of course we've been down this road once b/f and it didn't pan out but I think this time it will b/c there is NOTHING out there that we want to buy. On Monday I went out with our realtor and every house I really wanted to see had sold but not taken off the MLS yet...errrrr. There are NO houses in our area, in our price range. They are either under our price limit, which is a good thing, but not such a good thing b/c they are too small for our family of six. Or they are HUGE and we need to rent out a basement suit in order to pay for the mortgage. I don't want much, just a nice house maybe around 2000-2400sq. feet, nice yard, close to our school, close to the bus for Rich but there are NONE!
On the positive side to all of this, and what gives me hope, is that I talked to our mortgage dude and the interest rates have come down so much since even Feb. that having to buy the HUGE house (which is actually the normal size for today) isn't quite as daunting. I wonder if people out there buy houses with the suites as just "extra" income to buy the "extras" or if they actually need the suites to pay their mortgage? We would need the suite to pay the mortgage - is that wise? With the "helper" though we would be paying less of our mortgage than we do now in the townhouse. Anyways, unless what I REALLY want - nice size house and no need to rely on renters - comes on the market ASAP then we're going for the needed rental - which I think I've found the house I want in that market! If the deal on our house goes thru we have to be outta hear by June 28th - which is why we are in a bit of a hurry to find something, plus in our area houses are flying off the market.
Anyways, what do you think out there in blogger land - do you think most people "NEED" the rental income to afford their mortgage or do you think they use it for EXTRAS?

Cone wars

2009-05-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

We went to a park on the May long weekend and Rich introduced the boys to Pine cone wars - something he did as a kid. They made up two teams and they had to get to each other's tree to score points. I'm not sure if they had to get there without getting hit or what. All I know is that the boys had so much fun throwing pine cones at each other. There were a few tears (pine cones can hurt) but not many. It's fun to be able to do things with the kids that you did as a child. What is something you did as a kid that you can't wait to do with you kidlets?

Scaredy Cat...

2009-05-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

I had to help her on the way down but not on the way up.

Callia is a funny little thing - when she becomes scared or doesn't want to do something she cries and shakes. Well this one weekend we went to the park and we tried her on the slide - she cried and shook. We tried her on her own and with Ethan - didn't matter she hated it. A few weeks later we went to another park and I tried her on the slide - not quite as much crying or shaking so I kept sticking her on it and by the end of it she was okay with it. The next day Rich took her and she only cried when he tried to take her off the slide - funny girl. The next weekend we took her to a diff. park and she went on the slide -however, not only did she go down the slide she had decided that she should be able to climb up it and she did. Our little monkey, who can't walk yet, walked herself up the slide at least a dozen times by herself without my help!! She has had some other funny fears the boys never had - grass and pea gravel - she has gotten over both since we're outside so much and around it.

A picture every year!

2009-04-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

When Ethan was a baby I read somewhere that you should take a picture of your child every year wearing something of yours - this way you can see how much they are growing each year. So, b/c we had a boy first we decided that he would wear Rich's Liverpool jersey every year. For Callia we decided that she too would wear the Liverpool jersey every year but she would also get to have her picture with my wedding dress and/or veil since I don't have any meaning full shirts. Guess we could have gone with the bra? HA! So here are some of the shots we took with her and my dress - I think some could be really cute with some photoshop touch ups but I'm not in the mood right now to do that - maybe in a future post.

One!

2009-04-21T09:49:00.001-07:00

Wow - our baby is one. Well, she was one last week. On one hand it is sad - our baby is growing up, on the other hand I'm looking forward to the big kid stuff with no naps, diapers etc (long way to go yet). We celebrated by having my parents, nana, brother and niece over for dinner and cake. Callia wasn't that impressed with the cake but I thought it was b/c it was late. She loved her toys - the day b/f she had received a toy from a friend and when Christian tried to play with it she scooted over to him and screamed. On Sunday we went to Rich's sister and her and I made dinner for everyone since her daughter turned 10 a couple days after Callia's bday. We tried Callia again with cake and she wasn't that into it - thus we don't have any really good mucky face pictures. At this party she received all clothes - she was most interested in trying to put on her new shoes. Her brothers were so interested in helping her open presents and playing with her new toys - Christian even volunteered to try on her new clothes! Here is what she has done over the past month:

-weighs in at 17lbs 6 ounces 28 1/2 inches long

-pulling herself up

-does a bridge - stands on her legs and is bent over with hands on the floor

-now hates pancakes

-loves her swing outside

-no teeth

-naps one or two times a day

-loves milk, not formula

-says "what's this" - not clear, kind of in a breathy voice (she tooted and said it, then Rich went to put her to bed for her nap and he let one rip and she said it again)

-loves to push cars around, stick the soother into her baby's mouth, read books, draw with the doodle board thingy

-goes from lying to sitting to standing

-throw your food onto the floor when you're all done

-use the sign for more

Callia you have given us an amazing year. You are easy going (except for when you seem to be teething), loving, and gentle yet boisterous when your brothers get you going. The amazing thing is that though we have completed your milestone year we have many more to celebrate with you. You have completed our family. You are so loved by me, your daddy and brothers. I'm excited to see all the new things you're going to do over the next year. I pray that you grow up loving God with all of your heart!

The four stooges at one

2009-04-20T13:56:00.001-07:00

ethan

callia

christian

aiden

I think that Callia has a mix of all three boys in her though looking at these pics. I think that they all look completely different.

Product Review

2009-04-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Everyone is doing product reviews so I thought that I would add my two cents. B/f we had Callia we decided that we needed to get a high chair that attaches to a chair instead of the big bulky one we've had for the boys. I did a little looking online and thought that the Safety first one with the removable tray insert would be great. It's dish washer safe, etc. So we asked for it and received it for a gift. Well, let me tell you the removable tray drives me crazy. You can't just wipe it down b/c it is forever getting crumbs under the removable part so I always have to take it a part to rinse it fully down. For the last couple of days I've left the removable part off and just used the tray - much easier. I wish we had gone for the other brand (don't remember what it was) b/c it had a comfier looking seat. So I say, the size is great but skip the removable tray and go for the brand with more comfort. I'll add a pic. when blogger lets me.

Hmmmm

2009-04-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the boys and I were walking home from swimming lessons when we there was almost a collision b/w two bikers and a couple of ladies. The ladies had just crossed the road and were on the sidewalk when two young teen boys came whipping by on their bikes - the boys mad no effort to move around the ladies and almost ran them over. I thought "what freaks". Then I heard a bike bell behind me and turned and a biker went by us and then said thank-you. When I turned I saw that it was a teenage boy who had down syndrome. I thought isn't it ironic the boys who are "normal" were rude, dangerous and had no common sense yet the boy who has the disability was polite and most importantly safe on his bike. Just made me think of how we view people b/c they are "normal" or how we view them b/c they have a disability - sometimes "normal" doesn't count for much.

Tired

2009-03-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

I am SO tired of cleaning the house for showings. Even when the house seems tidy, it's not good enough for people to come thru for their TWO minute look so I still end up taking an hour or so to "tidy" more and clean more. I'm thinking of quitting!:) We went thru one place that had undies on the floor (not sure if they were clean or not), crumbs, garbage etc. and you know we would have bought it if one, we had our place sold and two if we had actually liked the layout and location. I suppose having a clean and tidy house helps and in reality I could NEVER leave my house dirty or untidy when I knew people were coming thru. But I'm tired of keeping it clean with four kids and having the cleaning taking time away from doing other things. Well, that's my gripe for the day. If this takes much longer maybe our undies will end up on the floor too, even if people are coming thru.

Treasure Box

2009-03-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Aiden blew out of his shoes this week so while the kids were at my parents Rich and I went shopping for shoes. We went to our local Walmart and we picked up a nice pair of shoes. We did a bit more shopping when we walked past more shoes .....Star Wars shoes. As soon as I saw them I knew Aiden would love them but I would have walked away from them. You see, I'm really not into licensed stuff - I don't buy shoes, shirts, pants or bedding with characters on them. Never really liked them. I do buy them undies, socks, backpacks and lunchboxes with them on but nothing they wear. They haven't been completely deprived since other people have bought them shirts (and they always end up being their favourites). But Rich convinced me that we should buy him the shoes (plus he has a cool pair of Next shoes -they're just hard to get on)- so we did. Even if they aren't the most stylish - it was worth the look on Aiden's face - he was so excited to have star wars shoes and now he is carrying the box around with him - it contains his treasures. So cute!! Christian received handymedown Cars shoes so he's pretty pumped. Poor Ethan - hopefully he doesn't need counselling when he gets older b/c we didn't buy him fancy shoes!:)

11months

2009-03-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

Tried to do a nice little photo shoot for 11months but Callia was all monkey for it.

Wow - this is my second to last post about my baby girl -well as far as a monthly update goes. Our first year is coming to a close and I'm a little sad about that. A couple of nights this week Callia has woken up in the middle of the night and nothing has worked to get her back to sleep except feeding her - my first reaction is AHHH, SLEEP but then I look at her and think AHHHH she's growing up and is my last baby this is it - take the moment to ENJOY her (even if it is 4 in the morning). Here is Callia at 11 months:

-still nursing, won't touch formula but next month we're bringing on the cow's milk

-eating everything (everything one can without any teeth)

-can go from laying on her tummy to sitting, so we lowered her crib

-pulls herself up on us but not on furniture

-crawls up to us, puts her head down which means she wants to go upside down (her favourite

-loves her mama best (even daddy says so)

-shakes her head no and means it

-was afraid of the bath for a bit - maybe b/c I started to sit her up in it and just dump water over her head? but since I've began laying her down to wash and then sitting up to play she likes it)

-loves the pool, books, music and ball

I think that's about it. Until next month. (sniff)

Yummmo!

2009-03-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

I received a new crock pot for Christmas and have been using it almost every week since and I'm loving it. A month ago I tried a recipe for "pull a part pork" and it was okay but this month I tried a new recipe and it is AMAZING!! It is so tasty and saucy and tender and just plain great. The boys gobbled it up where as with the first recipe they complained (well, the buns we used the first time were way too crusty too). B/c this recipe is so fantastic I thought I would share it with you all. The only difference is I only used 1lb of meat but the full amount of sauce. If I was to do the 2lbs of meat I would probably double the sauce b/c we liked it really saucy. Here it is:
lean pork roast, cubed 2 lbs
tomato sauce 7.5 ounces
ketchup 1/2 c
chopped onion 1 c
white vinegar 1/3 c
brown sugar, packed 1/3c
prepared mustard 1 tsp.
Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp.
chili powder 1 tsp.
salt 1/4 tsp.
molasses (not blackstrap) 2 tbsp.
water 2/3c

hamburger buns

Combine first 12 ingredients in 3.5 quart slow cooker. Cover. cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
Remove pork and shred it. You can then add as much sauce as you like to the pork or put it on the buns. The sauce is good for dipping homemade fries into too.

Don't know what to do

2009-03-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

Okay - so I really think I'm a little crazy. We put Christian into a preschool this year b/c he really wanted to go to school. The preschool I sent E and A to didn't work with A going to kindergarten so C wasn't going to go until one opened up on the school property of where E and A go to school. He has been going there all year - he enjoys it but we've always said that we would look into getting him into the preschool his brothers went to for four year old preschool. Well, I phoned them last week and of course they are all full. For A they squeezed him into the morning four year old even though he never went to three year old but for C I was way to late and the waiting list for 4 year old is way to long. So I decided to look into a local preschool here that has had great reviews from friends - it does all the same stuff E and A's did - Christmas Concert, graduation, Bible teaching, mom's tea, dad's bbq etc. When I think back to hearing E and mostly A singing and praying things they learned in preschool I love that they had that teaching for one year. I phoned them up today thinking that they would be full for AM but I thought I would give it a shot. I was so shocked when they said that they still have four spots left. So I jumped at the chance and said that I would come in tomorrow to pay the deposit. The crazy part is that now I feel unsettled about taking him out of the old one - is it mostly b/c I feel bad for his present preschool teacher - she has just started up and I don't want to discourage her, is it b/c I'll have to rush to get to the new preschool (or any one that isn't on the school grounds) or is it a check in my spirit? ERRRR! I asked Christian and he doesn't care b/c all the boys in his class this year are going into kindergarten next year so it'll be all new boys. So what to do????? Here is a list of pros and cons.

Current

-right at school
-teacher knows Christian
-only have one teacher (so when he threw up the poor thing was left standing
by himself in the bathroom)
-strong emphasis on Halloween, no Christian teaching
-probably won't have "grad" etc
-closed for all pro d days
-no indoor gym or preschool playground
-classes not age specific (which is a pos.
and neg)

New
-have to drive to it (neg)
-teachers don't know Christian
- has multiple teachers
-taught the Bible
-has lots of extras (grad, concert, teas, bbq)
-won't miss fri and mon b/c of pro days
-indoor gym and preschool playground

See told you I'm crazy. B/f the new preschool said yes I was really hoping and praying he would be able to go to it. I think I'm mostly feeling bad about potentially hurting the current teacher. Oh why do I have to over think EVERYTHING!!!! What do you think?

New Ways to clean...

2009-02-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

Way back in June 2008 I posted that I would no longer use cleaning supplies like fantastic but instead I would try to use environmentally friendly stuff. So in Jan. my cleaning supplies finally ran out (you may be thinking that either my house is a sty or I had a lot to use up). Not having much extra time on my hands I did a quick search online for cleaning alternatives and vinegar and water kept popping up. Since I had to clean the house that day, didn't want to buy anything and had lots of vinegar I decided to give it a whirl. I've been using a vinegar water mix for a couple of weeks now and it seems to be working???? Who really knows, I can't see the germs, bacteria that may be festering on my counter tops and toilets but hey it looks clean. If anyone has any environmentally cleaning products let me know. I have to say it feels good squiring water and vinegar instead of chemicals.

10 months

2009-02-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

Callia is changing way too quickly. This month she:
-bum scoots around the house
-goes to the edge of the stairs and gives and big grin when I say no
-she is eating everything we eat - she has eaten a jam sandwich, curry, chili, rice, melon, cheese etc.
-she weighs in at 16lbs 6oz
-has the best funny face that she usually makes while eating
-has a new cry/scream when she isn't getting the attention she wants
-loves buttons and jewelry
-often scoots to the car bin and looks thru them
-has had a couple of fights with Christian
-"helps" when getting dressed
-dances to music
-says - dadda, mamma, hi ya (of course none of these mean anything)
-waves bye when going up to sleep
-only chewed on two pieces of lego so far
Though she still has no teeth - which makes her eating skills quite amazing. I saw my cousin's newborn just last week and it really made me realize how big Callia is. (sniff) I'm now at the point where I could hold a newborn for somebody and love it since my baby is growing up so quickly. Callia is so good and easy going. We all love her to bits!

Errrrrr!

2009-02-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

I don't get it. We've had our place up for sale since Sept. We weren't really planning on it -it just kinda happened. We had said that we would wait for Callia to be a year but we didn't. Wished we had. She is now almost one and our place is still up for sale. We had an offer this weekend and we accepted it. They wanted possession by April 2 so we moved fast -found a house we loved - it was the perfect size, layout and location so we put an offer on it. The catch was that it was out of our price range by about 40 grand however, it needed a lot of work done to it - about that much probably so we thought we would put in a one time offer. Our realtor didn't really hold out much hope - I felt (for some reason) that it would work out and guess what, it did. On Mon (today is Wed) we wrote the offer and it was accepted. EVerything was to be completed by next week - our house would be completed in one week and the offer on the other house would be completed in 9 days and we would move in at the beg. of April. Which was perfect timing since Callia would be turning one and we could have a big fam. party (finally) at our house. HOwver, it is not going to happen. The people who wanted to buy our place lied about their finances and last night everything fell thru. IT sucks!! We thought this was the right thing b/c of how everything was coming together - the timing seemed perfect - our financing was way better then expected but I guess it wasn't the right thing. I am so tired of not knowing what's going on. I'm so tired of waiting for someone to offer us something. I am tired of wondering if there will be the perfect house out there for us. Most of all I'm so disappointed that we have spent almost all of Callia's first year having this unknown hanging around our necks. On the whole it hasn't made a diff. to how much time we've spent with her but there have been days when I've had to clean like mad and ignore her and the other kids. Anyways, I"ll stop now. Nothing much more to say except that I don't get it and that I'm tired of it all.

A Deal for you!

2009-02-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

This past week I thought I would play around with my camera a bit and ended up reformatting the card - not once but twice. I'm not the quickest at times! I wasn't too upset b/c there had been no major events on the card - only day to day stuff - which is still important when you have a babe around. I thought I would try to download a program to get the pictures off of the card - I found one and downloaded a free demo. It worked. It was finding most of the pictures, however, when I went to try to save the pictures onto our computer it was no longer free - the demo was over and I would have to pay 45 or so to buy the program. Well, I thought that I would phone London Drugs to see which way was cheaper - for a one time deal London Drugs would have been cheaper unless they found a thousand pics on my card -though they said they didn't think they would find anything since it had been reformatted, not just deleted. Anyways, I thought I would do a search this time for a completely free program and I found one. It is called MJM Data recovery. It took some playing around b/f it would find complete pictures but once I got it right this program was amazing. It was finding every single picture from Christmas until present day and then it went backwards. I finally stopped it b/c it was taking hours and it had found my pictures that I hadn't saved!!!!! when I stopped it, the program was only 60% done and it had found I think over 700 pictures. London drugs would have cost me tonnes if they had found that many. Anyways, if you ever delete your memory card download this program it works like a charm. the recovered pics. were the same size as usual and even had all the data (time taken, camera, etc) encoded in them.

9months

2009-01-19T14:06:00.001-08:00

Callia received the above dress fr. my cousin when she was just born. It is 0-3 months so in the first picture Callia is about 3 or 4 weeks old - and the dress was slightly HUGE on her - I thought that I would try it on her again a couple of weeks ago and that is the second picture. I think the dress fits her better at nine months! It is a little short when standing (not too bad though) and is fine when sitting. I'm glad she was able to wear it again!!

So Miss Callia hasn't changed too much since last month. She isn't crawling but she does manage to push herself around a little bit - she has quite the stretch when reaching for something she really wants. She has no teeth yet she manages to eat pancakes at breakfast (don't worry, no syrup). She hasn't been weighed since b/f Christmas but will be weighed later this week for the next part of the flu shot so I'll up date that then. She LOVES to be upside down. She LOVES to do her funny face. She LOVES yogurt and fruit. She LOVES any type of finger food. She LOVES her mama best!;) She LOVES to play with balls, cars and dolls. She would LOVE to get into the boys lego already - it won't be a good scene in our house when she starts to move b/c we have TONNES of lego. That about sums her up for this month. Oh - she's not eating anymore at 10:30 - kinda nice to be able to go to bed early if I want to - of course that hasn't happened yet.

WEEEE!

2009-01-19T13:59:00.001-08:00

Hey there - wow- I can't believe I have a minute to sit down and blog. The house is clean, the youngest are sleeping, Aiden has a friend over and Ethan's at school. The laundry is going, the dishwasher is emptied and dinner is figured out -phew! One thing that has taken up some of my time is our family Christmas gift. We've never bought ourselves a "family" gift b/f but Rich received money fr. work as a recognition for being with his company for 10 years and so with it we bought a Wii. Let me tell you we have so much fun on it! If you're going go to have a gaming system in your house the wii is a great one to have. It gets ya moving, kids and adults can play the same games, it something "active" they can do in the house, and it's fun when people are over (big or little). I received the Wii fit fr. Rich for Christmas so we've been having fun trying to beat each other's top scores. I don't think I'll lose a ton of weight on it but it can get your heart going if you do certain exercises on it and I figure moving a bit is better then just laying on the couch watching TV. I think boys are really geared for playing video games - it's just in them - so I"m glad we have one that gets them running and jumping (our neighbours my disagree a bit!).

Doing something right...

2009-01-05T17:44:00.000-08:00

Every parent has those moments where they wonder if the values they want to instil in their children are actually sticking (at least I do) and then every once in a while your child does something that makes you go "Yes, they're getting it" (at least mine do). I had one of those moments tonite. Before Christmas I was feeling a little blah about our kids going to public school and only being exposed to Santa stuff (among other less favourable stuff) - not that I'm opposed to Santa but he's not the true meaning of Christmas. So all of December we talked about the real meaning of Christmas every night at dinner (diff. aspects each night) to counteract everything at school. Well, we had one of those moments (phew, something is sticking) when Ethan handed me some art he had done at school. I asked him about it and he said he had to draw something about Christmas and he - now wait, this is it - drew the manger scene - Mary, Joseph, Jesus, animals and the star. He could have drawn Santa or a tree or reindeer but he chose to draw the nativity - he was the only kid - kinda cool I think.

It's come and gone!

2009-01-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

Callia was having loads of fun sucking on the baby's soother and then trying to stick it back into the baby's mouth.

Callia loves bling - she is always looking at necklaces, earings, watches so she received a beautiful neclace and locket from her nana and grandad

We gave Callia these little paints for small hands for when she is a bit older - we let her suck on them until we noticed that she had turned orange! oops, guess the paint comes out when you let a baby suck on the end of the container!

playing Ethan's fav. game - pictionary

The kids in their snow fort.

I can't believe that our Christmas break is all over as of tomorrow. It is my most favourite time of year. I love Christmas Eve and Christmas day - I love the food, I love seeing the family, and I love the presents (mostly reactions to what I've given) but I absolutely LOVE the week following Christmas. It is so relaxing, Rich is off, the kids have new toys and the schedule is free. This year was no exception. We were out every night from the week b/f Christmas to Boxing Day so life was very busy. But starting on Boxing Day when our plans were cancelled b/c of the snow life settled down. We were still out every night or had people over but the days were quiet. We stayed in sweats or the boys stayed in pjs practically all day. We went to Chuck E Cheese one day and had a blast. We had some friends over, we went to friends for New Years, we went ice skating, bowling, movies and the boys had a sleep over at their grandma and poppas (YIPEE). They also played outside in the snow.

That was the best part about Christmas Eve -the snow. My family came over early since it was snowing so hard so we had lots of time to go out. The snow was up to my knees. I don't really remember too many white Christmases so this was a special one. Callia was also so much fun. Her being 8months for her first Christmas was a lot diff. than the boys who were either 2 months or 4 months for their first. She liked the wrapping paper and boxes - she took everything in and was such an angel. Christian couldn't wait for Christmas to happen and he kept asking for hot wheels - he was SO excited when my parents bought him a hot wheels race track and santa brought him a hot wheels Trick Tracks. Aiden and Ethan were pretty excited too. Ethan kept mentioning that some kids at his school don't believe in Santa and think it's their parents. He never asked us directly if he is real or not - if he does we'll tell him - right now we're lying by omission not out right lying to his face (is there a diff?). We had two yummy dinners one on CE and one on CD - it was great being with Rich's fam. Anyways, tomorrow it's back to the grind of regular life - no more pjs till noon or later - no more being holed up in the house (and enjoying it) until it's time to do something fun. No more sleeping in till 9:30 (the eldest two). Hope you all had a great Christmas break!

"N"

2008-12-19T14:02:00.001-08:00

My cousin Amanda gave me the letter "N" to post 10 things that I like/favourite etc. N has been a TOUGH letter!! None of my absolute favs. start with N - no kids, no hubby- so it has taken A LOT of thought. So here it goes - in no particular order - oh, I only have 8 so far but I will keep thinking until I get all ten!

1. Nativity - I love the nativity and all that it represents. Christmas is such a fun time of year - love the family time, love the decorations, food, presents but my desire for my kids (and for me) is that they truly understand Christmas and the Nativity, of course, is the true meaning. I saw a clip from the movie "the nativity" and it was so moving as they showed Mary giving birth and baby Jesus - moving b/c I'm a mom and couldn't imagine having a baby that would one day carry the weight of the world - all of its sin on His shoulders - moving b/c it reinforced the humanness of Jesus and of Mary and of Joseph. Just as God used Mary and Joseph He can use us!

2. Nuts - gotta love nuts - especially almonds. Last year when I lost a lot of weight nuts were a great snack to stave off hunger and to fill me up!! I still eat them every day. I also love peanut butter, especially with chocolate! Also love them in salads and stir fries.

3. Nuptials - I love being married. Rich and I have been married for almost nine years (okay three more months) and it's been pretty great. As a little girl I always wanted to be married - it's not like the movies but in many ways it's even better. I couldn't imagine my life without Rich in it.

4. Naps - I couldn't get thru the days without my kids having naps. The baby naps 2-3 times a day, Christian naps a few times a week and Aiden naps the odd time too. They are the time I can either rush around like a crazy lady and get loads done without feeling like I"m neglecting my kids or they're a time I can laze around on the computer reading blogs etc. Usually it's a combination of both.

5. Nighttime - I love the evening when Rich and I are finally by ourselves. I love relaxing. I've always been a night owl - though now that I have kids that have to get up for school I have to get to bed at a pretty decent time. I also love sleeping - nothing better than my head hitting the pillow after a long day - usually it only takes me a second or two to drift off to lala land.

6. Nation - I love our nation of Canada - I love the freedom to worship God, to express our opinions - to work, shop, live how we want to. I love the beauty of the mountains, the smell of the ocean, the sun, the snow (for a day). I love that we are free to travel - to come and go as we want - that we are welcome in other countries (generally).

7. Nations- I also love other countries. Missions is so important to me. When looking for a church that had to be its focus. So many people need God - hey so many people in our own country need God too I know but there is just something about foreign countries. I've been to Estonia, Russia, New York and Uganda doing missions stuff and would love to continue to do things in the future with our family. I love hearing about other countries and whats going on. One day Rich and I want to take our kids to Africa on a combo missions/travel trip before that we would love to do more local things like the food bank or things in Vancouver. We think it would change all of us! We've always been open if we felt God calling - who knows!?!

8. Nissi- as in Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is My Banner! God is the most important person in my life. He is my all in all. God has many names and this one is used in Exodus 17:8-16 with Moses. He had just one a battle and he called God Jehovah Nissi - the Lord was his Banner, God was victorious. Just as God was victorious in many battles in the Bible He can be victorious in every situation in our own lives. God is my strength, my peace - when life seems crazy, when I don't know what is going on I just have to remember that HE is in control and it brings life into perspective and gives me a sense of peace.

9. ????? It'll come. It has come. NEW YEAR! Not necessarily New Years Eve but the start of a new year. For me this comes twice a year - once in September when the school year starts and then of course in January. I love both b/c it gives me a chance to organize our lives, to start new things and to have a beginning date to start different things such as goals to lose weight (ha), do better on devotions, be better mom, spouse etc. I'm not big into resolutions but sometimes when you know you have to improve on something having a September or Jan. helps you to begin that improvement.
10.?????? This one will show up too.

So there you have it 8 out of 10 n words that mean something to me!

8 Months and going strong

2008-12-19T13:51:00.001-08:00

I do have other things than my baby girl to blog about however, life has been busy and my other thoughts can wait - if I don't blog her monthly update I'll forget what's new. So, Callia is 8 months! She is weighing in at 14lbs. She LOVES her food. So far Callia will eat anything, except the fish I made for her - don't blame her it stinks. I have to make new stuff. Callia is sitting all the time, she sleeps on her belly for naps. She naps usually twice, sometimes three times a day. She is eating all her veggies, fruit, meat, cereal and yogurt. She loves Cheerios - though most still end up on the floor. Callia will not be a pacifist. She gets so excited when she watches her brothers wrestles. Her little legs start going a mile a minute. She can be very vocal - not so much with specific sounds but kind of yelling. The boys get irratated with her when she is noisy and they are trying to watch TV. Callia loves to give hugs and grabs our faces to give nice open mouthed kisses. Callia loves music - her legs and arms go nuts when she hears it. Love you little girl!!

Babies in Disneyland

2008-11-21T22:50:00.000-08:00

Before we left for Disney I tried to find info on taking a baby to Disneyland but couldn't find out everything I wanted in one spot so here is my opinion about taking them.

Taking Callia was a great experience. She wasn't just dragged along, she truly enjoyed watching the shows and parades and she was enthralled with the rides she could go on. Callia was 6 1/2 months old but even though she is small for her age she did great on the rides.

Babies can go on all the rides in Fantasyland except for the Matterhorn and maybe Dumbo.

In Tomorrowland they can go on Astro Blaster, Nemo and Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

In Frontierland she could go on the paddle wheel.

In New Orleans they can go on Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted House.

In Critter Country they can go on Winnie the Pooh.

In Toon town there were no rides - Roger Rabbit is (in my opinion)much too rough for babies.

In Adventureland she could go on the jungle cruise, up the tree house and in the Tikki Room.

In California Adventure there wasn't much that she could go on - she could go on the train ride in Bugsland, the 3D show in Bugs Life and the Take out ride in Bugs land. Oh - babies can also go on the carousel, Toy Story Mania (though it would be hard to shoot holding a baby) and Monsters Inc.

Apparently they have baby change areas but I found just as easy to change her in the stroller and to find a bench or the ground to nurse her. She is a quick nurser and I wanted to stay in the area the kids were in so I didn't go looking for the stations.

Remember to take hats, sunscreen, and light blankets to cover them up from the sun. If you go in the fall/winter you will need something warmer for them in the evenings as it can become quite cool. Take a rain cover for your stroller (yeah, ours never left the hotel). Some hotels have cribs you can use. We took down everything she would need food and diaper wise.

So there you have it. My biggest search was for what rides a baby could go on.

My heart breaks...

2008-11-21T22:42:00.001-08:00

Our little guy Aiden needs glasses, or so the optometrist says. We're not sure if he does or not b/c he doesn't show any signs of needing them - has never complained about not seeing, we just took the boys in for a regular check up and came out with a surprise. We just picked up his glasses this week and he has been wearing them for about two hours a day (when we remember). The frustrating thing is that he can't seem to tell us if they help him or not. And we're confused b/c at the eye docs. he told me the glasses were for close up but at Costco we were told they were for distance and THEN one day Aiden tells me they help him see better close up and the next day he said they help for distance. AHHHHHH! But my heart breaks b/c last night he was in tears for at least a half hour about having to wear them to school. He said he'll be embarrassed, didn't even know he knew what that meant. There is a little girl in his class that wears them but that's not much comfort to him. I know glasses aren't a huge deal but as a parent you don't want your child to go thru anything uncomfortable. I think we're going to get a second opinion since Aiden seems so confused. I'd love to take this from him but then I probably wouldn't be able to see at all if I added his eye problems to my own! It's sad his baby blues are a little covered but he does look cute in them - I'll post a pic. once I take it.

What have I created?

2008-11-21T22:34:00.001-08:00

At the beginning of September I decided that I was going to do breakfast different this year. Aiden was eating not eating enough when he chose cold cereal so he would go to school with a full tummy I had to come up with a plan. I got my idea from a friend and didn't know if I could do it but I have and it's going well - maybe too well. You see I decided that I would make pancakes one morning, which would do for two breakfasts, have eggs and sausage one morning and then on the other two mornings they can choose b/w toast, hot cereal or cold cereal. My little 3 year old doesn't remember life pre pancakes in the morning. B/f this idea took hold of our life, pancakes were reserved for an easy dinner but now they're for breakfast and Christian figures they should be for breakfast every day (or almost). This pic. was taken a couple of days ago after I told him no I can't make pancakes (wasn't quite in the groove after our trip) and you would've thought I had just told him that trains don't exist! He asks almost every morning for pancakes -he usually takes no okay as long as we've had them within the last couple of days!! Man, what have I created?

7months

2008-11-21T22:25:00.000-08:00

Here's another update of our Princess;

-sits by herself (only topples over every once in a while, we still put pillows around)

-weighs in at 12lbs 11 oz (yeah you gained a pound finally)

-been on an airplane

-eating a variety of veggies and starting on fruit

-love mummums and stars

-still nap 2-3 times a day

-still love your brothers

-love to touch all of our faces, hair

-don't play strange

That's about it. You make me smile every day and melt my heart. Every once in a while it hits me "wow, we have a girl". I love seeing you eating new things and being able to do new things!

A Lesson Learned

2008-11-19T11:43:00.001-08:00

The forbidden ride.

"Ah - it feels so good to confess to the genie"

Rich and I learned a big lesson while away. Christian is almost 40", the magic number at Disney, so sometimes we had a few tears when he wasn't able to go on those rides. There is one ride we figured he would love to go on, Thunder Mountain Railway but there was the 40" rule. We came up with a brilliant (or not ) idea of folding up a couple of maps and sticking them into his shoes to see if we could get him up to the magic number - and we did. However, we miscalculated the repercussion of our decision. Christian was fine - he survived the ride, he liked it - don't think loved it b/c it is pretty intense, however, Ethan was not so fine. He was soooo upset - he couldn't believe that we would stick something in Christian's shoe to get him on the ride - he couldn't believe that we would lie. At first Rich was trying to reason with him - oh Christian really would like the ride etc, etc but I just said look it, we weren't honest there's not excuse for it. We can't make excuses or we're teaching Ethan that if you really want something it's okay to cheat a little. As adults we rationalize little "white" lies, it something doesn't quite suite us we can sometimes bend the rules but to a 7 year old who clearly sees life as black and white there is NO excuse for little "white" lies. We both felt horrible for letting him down. I know how he feels b/c I'm a very black and white person, however over the years I've come to realize that not every views right and wrong the same as me, even Christians (can you believe that;0) and so I've come to see other people's point of views (don't necessarily agree with them but can see their point). Parents out there, our kids are looking up to us and we need to make sure we're living a life that exemplifies how we want them to live. I'm glad he called us on our lie b/c in a few years I don't want him to be able to say "But mom I really wanted to do that so I thought it was okay to...lie, steal b/c remember Christian really wanted to go on that ride and you lied to get him on. I know that's a bit extreme but really we have to model the behaviour and lifestyle we want for our kids.

Ethan held on to this for a couple of days. We apologized, Christian was not allowed to go back on that ride and we told him we would never stick maps in Christian's shoes again.

There was a funny part to the story. The next day when he went up to get Aladdin and Jasmines' autographs they asked the kids what their fav. rides were and Christian said Choo Choos. So they asked which one and that's all it took to prompt Ethan to explain that Christian went on Thunder mountain b/c his mom and dad put maps in his shoes. Aladdin's answer - What a trick! We were all slowing walking away b/f the Disney police could come and capture us.

oops

2008-11-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

Just realized I wrote about Ethan twice. Oh well! Kind of funny that they both say almost the exact same thing!

7 years ago....

2008-11-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

some of the can good he collected

star wars dudes on his cupcakes

we welcomed Ethan James into our lives. Sometimes I really feel like the poor kid is our guinea pig - he's the one that we are trying out all of our parenting skills (or lack of) on and sometimes I worry that we're screwing him up. Hopefully, God is hearing our prayers and doing His own work on Ethan to compensate for our mistakes! Ethan is a great little boy. He can SO frustrating at times and then at other times he is SO amazing. He can drive his sibs insane and then he can be so kind and gentle with them that I can't believe he's the same kid. He has a memory for everything (sometimes a good thing and sometimes not so much). We are learning that he has a very strong sense of what is right and what is wrong (tell ya more in another post). He loves star wars, lego, soccer, hockey - basically anything his daddy is into he is into. He has lots of friends - he loves to play football and recess and give me loads of grass stained clothes and stinky socks. He loves his sister so much as well as his brothers. Ethan always willing goes and gets things for me when I need help with Callia - he never argues about it. I love him so much and love to still get in the hugs and kisses when I can b/c even though he is growing up quickly he is still only 7!

For his bday party we went to a pool. They spent an hour in the pool and then some time at the poolside eating and then went in again. He wanted to invite the max. number the pool allowed - 11 - I said okay but gave him a suggestion. I suggested that instead of receiving 11 presents (no space for that) why don't we ask for 5 bucks and a canned good that we would take to the foodbank. He agreed. So on his birthday the kids all came with canned goods and Ethan collected 19 items!! We didn't have time to go to the food bank b/c of our vacation but now we will. The kids all counted the items as I pulled them out of the bag and they seemed pretty impressed with themselves. When we got home Ethan opened up the cards and was so excited b/c he was so BLESSED. Many of the people didn't just gave 5 dollars - some gave 10 or 15 or even 20. So instead of receiving 40 dollars (some couldn't come and one had already bought a present) he received 80! Not that you give to get but it's not every 7 year old who will willingly give up getting a bunch of toys so that he can buy probably just one and then give to those who need food. Anyways, it turned out to be a great day for him. We look forward to another year with our eldest - hoping that God's influence on him surpasses ours!:)

Legoland

2008-11-17T20:49:00.000-08:00

standing in front of New York - the models moved - were lit up - played music - some were interactive

Giddy up bad boy!

Ethan went on this ride four or five times. The kids drove the cars themselves -no track and were suppose to follow signs and lights.

the smaller version for kids 5 and under.

We decided to also go to Legoland since we had heard that it is good for kids 10 and under. We had a fun day - the lego creations were amazing - the kids LOVED looking at them all and we must have spent a good hour or more looking at them all. I'm not sure that we'll go there again - the rides were not that great (well in comparison to Disney) but the kids didn't seem to notice or care (which is what's important). When the park closed we went into the store and Ethan and Aiden were able to pick out their bday presents. The both picked special edition sets and were so excited. Thankfully the next day was going to be a relaxing back at the hotel day and so Rich spent most of the day assembling their sets. They had lots of fun playing with them when they had a moment or two. I'm glad we went b/c the boys all really enjoy Lego and they were a great age for that park.

Couldn't have done it without ya!

2008-11-16T20:36:00.001-08:00

For our trip we had both sets of parents come with us. When we thought of going we sent out an email to both b/c we couldn't invite one set without the other and they both let us know that they would love to come. We are so glad they did. At first I was a little nervous wondering how it would be with two sets of grandparents - how would we "share" the kids, how would we stick together but it worked out awesome. We all shared the kids at diff. times - we took turns staying off the rides with Callia and Christian (especially the moms). THANK-YOU! The kids loved having different people going on with them for the diff. rides. Callia was spoiled with being held and rocked when a little fussy. She was so good on the trip but I think part of that was due to the fact that we could phone up a grandparent in the morning to take her while we were getting ready or that they would hold her in the evening when she really wanted to be sleeping or just had had enough of the stroller. Rich and I got to go shopping one evening by ourselves (which was so nice) and one other evening we were able to stay later with the older two and the grandparents took the youngest home to bed - that was so much fun to be out with just Aiden and Ethan . At home our kids see their grandparents on a regular basis but by no means everyday so this in itself was a special treat for them. It was great seeing them build memories with their Poppa, Grandma, Nana and Grandad. It was also fun to see the parents interact - we are blessed that they get along. Some people are a little surprised when we say we went with both but we wouldn't change what we did for anything. Thanks for making it an awesome trip - without you it would have been pretty stressful taking four small kids to Disney.

Disneyland

2008-11-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

So we just got back from Disneyland. Rich and I went there 8 1/2 years ago for our honeymoon and talked back then about going back with our kids one day. Well, one day arrived and we took off along with our parents. Our trip was fantastic, maybe not as cosy as it was with just the two of us but it was just as fun.

This picture was taken as we were leaving the park on the last night. Just b/f we had been on the train - the ride Christian was waiting to go on ALL day and he had been wide awake for that - within five -10 minutes of getting of the train he was asleep. He did so good going all day long every day. He only had two naps the entire time. Oh - he also really hurt his foot in the Seattle airport - at first we were afraid it was something really serious as he sobbed (unlike him) but thankfully we had a stroller for him so he rode in that and by the end of the week he was skipping around (with a limp).

We had such a great time with each of the kids. Aiden loved all of the rides too. He went on every ride he was big enough for. I think his fav. was Splash Mountain. He would cuddle in too on rides he was a little bit scared in. Christian was scared of a lot of the rides to begin with (pirate, haunted house, Nemo) but he would always go on again and those rides ended up being his favourite. He thought all of the 3D movies were scary and did refuse to go into those ones again.

On the last morning we went to have a character breakfast in Goofy's Kitchen. We hummed and hahhed about doing this but we are so glad we did. The food was so good and it was fun to have the characters come around and spend time at our table. We saw - Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Captian Hook, Princess Jasmine and Sleeping Beauty. They did fun things with the kids too like a band and the macarina. If you go to Disney dig deep into the old wallet and do a character meal.

As we were walking into Fantasyland I saw all of the Princess stuff. I couldn't resist putting this on Callia's head and when I did she lit up. SO CUTE!! I felt a little emotional when I saw all the girly stuff b/c I thought YEAH - I have a little girl to buy this princessy stuff for. We are so blessed to be able to do both the boys stuff and the girls stuff - that was only a dream a year ago and now it's a reality!:)

Ethan loved to go on any rides he could by himself (wasn't many). We had our highs and lows with this guy. Ethan was SO excited he couldn't contain himself on the first day - in fact he didn't even eat breakfast. Lack of food led to a rather irksome first morning as he complained about a lot of things. I thought GOOD GRIEF we're in Disney - who complains here? It was not turning out how I thought it would. HOwever, after he ate lunch he did a complete turn around and was pretty happy. Of course we had our moments, even in Disney no one is perfect. One minute Ethan would tell us it was the best vacation ever and then when something didn't go his way it was suddenly the worst. The best thing with Ethan and Disney was seeing his face light up during and after a great ride. His fav. was the big roller coaster at California Adventure. I also loved it when he was scared and would suddenly grab hold of my hand or cuddle up!

The boys loved to pose with any characters they saw and got all of their autographs. In fact we had to find Buzz light year for them since when we saw him the first time they were "anti" character.

Callia responded in a way I didn't expect. I thought we would just be dragging the poor girl along but we weren't - she thoroughly enjoyed herself. When she was able to go on rides her little head was going back and forth, constantly taking everything in and then (as in this pic) she was enthralled with the parades. Of course she won't remember it but for the moment she was taken by everything she saw.

Christian was our first kid to get an autograph. At first Ethan and Aiden were not going to have anything to do with the characters.

The first thing the boys wanted to do was Jedi Training so we did. We were so happy b/c both boys were picked to do the training. We also did it the last day but only Ethan was picked. Sad for Aiden but he was a trooper and didn't let it bother him too much. This was a fabulous show.

Disney was so great. I can't wait to go back there again with the kids. WE've said we will go back when Callia is 40" - that's the height for many of the bigger rides and they're very strict with it -but Idon't know if we can wait that long!! It won't be too long if she ends up being tall!:)

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight we gutted the pumpkins and carved them. well, we all gutted them, the boys drew their designs on them and then rich carved them. Christian and Aiden went to Aldor acres on field trips but Ethan didn't get to go as our month was too crazy to go as a family. Ethan was okay with it after I promised to buy him a big one. I bought him one and it came to 7 bucks - I thought that was okay until I went to save on foods later and saw one for 2 or 3 bucks and it was the same size! I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get a pic. of Callia at a pumpkin patch for her first fall. Oh well, life goes on and the field trips were much better sans baby. The boys were so pleased with their lit pumpkins.

Fine China and Candlelight

2008-10-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Nope - not talking about an anniversary or my bday or Valentine's Day but Ethan's birthday. We let the kids choose their birthday dinner - it can be home made or a restaurant and Ethan chose to have ribs (so YUMMY!) and wanted the china and candles too. If you had told me 7 years ago when I had my first baby boy that he would request china and candles I would have laughed!!

I can't believe Ethan is 7. This time 7 years ago he had not been born for even an hour. I love Ethan so much - though he has a way to drive me completely insane. Ethan loves his siblings (even though he sometimes declares life would be better with out them) - he will help with Callia, he will hold her and play with her. Him and Aiden play together and he can be kind to Christian and play trains with him. Ethan is a smart kid (if I do say so myself) and so sometimes his mouth gets him into A LOT of trouble (maybe it would even if he wasn't so bright) but at the same time he can come up with the sweetest comments to his siblings or to me. He has an incredible memory and it is often so cool to hear what he has to say about things we've done in the past. Life is always interesting when Ethan is around - one never knows what is going to come out of his mouth next! I do pray that as he grows that God will continue to work on his heart and that what comes out of his mouth will glorify God and will lead others to HIM. Love you Ethan!!

Gone are the days....

2008-10-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

Gone are the days of stuffing a poopy diaper in my diaper bag or taking a three point shot from our bed to the garbage can. Callia has been eating her cereal like a real trooper over the past week and a half and we are now experiencing stinky, sticky new poop! Oh, for the sweet smelling breast feeding poop -oh well, there's no turning back now. At first she would not touch the cereal and we thought oh no!! We were a little worried since she has now rejected the bottle and formula (we keep trying ) however, we found the right consistency and she loves the stuff. Now to begin the introduction of veggies - I kind of want to wait until we get back from our Disney trip but by then she'll almost be 7 months. So good bye sweet smelling pool (relatively speaking) and hello diaper genie.

Five years!

2008-10-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

My Aiden turned five this month. WOW! For months he had been asking for a Star Wars bday party but about two weeks b/f we were going to have it he changed his mind to a Hot Wheels party. I was kind of glad - I have nothing against Star Wars but Hot Wheels just seems more age appropriate - more innocent. Aiden had six kids to his party and I think everyone had a great time. We raced cars, played hot car potato, raced plasma cars outside, drew race car tracks and made goody bags. Now Christian wants a hot wheels party too.

Aiden is such a sweet boy. He is very full of emotion - which can be very frustrating at times but I think it'll end up being a good thing. I was worried at the beginning of the year that he would have a hard time making friends b/c of his speech but he is having no problems. In fact he invited three friends from school to come to his party where as Ethan had no friends yet that he wanted to invite when he was in kindergarten and we thought Ethan was the out going one. It so made me smile inside when I took him to soccer a few weeks ago and we were a bit late but when we arrived a bunch of the boys yelled out "Aiden" "Hi, Aiden" - obviously he is well liked. I'm not writing this to brag more like to let out a PRAISE that God has heard us and answered our prayer with regards to Aiden making friends despite the difficulty they may have understanding him.

Aiden loves to play with Ethan and though he won't admit it him and Christian play well together too. Aiden loves hot wheels, star wars, transformers, playmobil and building things. Aiden also doesn't stop talking at home - sometimes I tell him to be quiet. I feel kinda bad about it but for one thing sometimes I need quiet for another thing it can be tiring listening to him since you really have to listen sometimes to get what he is saying. Anyways, we love Aiden so much and hope that he has an amazing year!!

1/2 a year!

2008-10-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

Miss Callia is 6 months old! Not sure where half a year went - but it's gone. Let's see what's different with our princess:
-loves to sit in her exersaucer
-eats cereal by the gallon now (only for a bout a week)
-can balance for a few seconds while sitting on her own
-moves all over the place in her bed
-naps two times a day for sure for 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours and needs a third nap but doesn't always take it
-stares at us when eating (very intense - I wouldn't be surprised if the food flew off the spoon and into her mouth with how hard she stares at it!)
-puts everything in her mouth - including toes
-loves the big bath - splashes lots
-makes a coughing sound for fun and will mimic you when you do it (at first we thought she was choking)
-weighs in at 11lbs 12 oz (might get her checked out but Christian stalled at about this age too)
-down to four feeds during the day and then I still get her up at 10:30 (don't know if I need to or not but I tell myself I have to or my milk will deplete - really I know if I give up that feed it's a sign she's really growing up big!)
-easily laughs
-played strange with people for a bit but I think she's over it for now - unless she's really tired
-goes to the church nursery (sometimes) with no problem

I think that's about it. I love her smiles and giggles and how she lights up when she sees ME (makes a mommy feel great - maybe not so great for others). We all love her to bits!

Silly faces

2008-10-13T22:40:00.001-07:00

Callia has moved up to the big bath. It only took me over five months to do it. She enjoys her bath time - she is beginning to really splash now that she's not all scrunched up in a baby tub.

Pumpkin Pie

2008-10-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

One again we had two delicious meals for Thanksgiving. Little Miss Callia tried a miniscule amount of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie! She's right there with her brothers and loved them both.

A Baxter Moment

2008-10-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading a series involving a family called the Baxters - it is a mom and dad with five adult children and it's fantastic. They aren't perfect but they have lots of fun traditions and do things all together with their kids. I know it's fiction and families aren't like that all of the time but on Sat. I would say we had a "Baxter" Moment. We went with friends down to the river near us and roasted hot dogs and marshmellows - which was so much fun but what was even more fun was the game of football keep away we all played. I'm not sure what made it so much fun - no rules, parents and kids working together, laughing, running, spontaneity but it was. The kids had so much fun and want to do it next week. I hope that as our family grows we can create traditions that they remember and love to do even when they grow up and have their own families. Right now I think that traditions are fantastic for families but need to be flexible (especially as kids grow up) and I hope that I remember that and don't get "stuck". I hope that one day our kids will want to be a part of each others lives - praying together, raising their kids together, laughing and crying together, having big family dinners together on a regular basis etc. etc.

What!?!

2008-10-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

I was just looking at Aiden's October school calander and noticed that they're having a fire drill (I remember those), then an earthquake drill (never did one in school but know they do them now) and then I read lock down drill. WHAT! Yikes - there is probably a better chance of the school catching fire or an earthquake happening then an incident where they needed to lock down the school but still - it sounds scary. I was going to title this entry Welcome to the public school system but I don't think it matters if your child goes to private or public - it only takes one kid to go commando or something wrong to happen outside of the school and the school has to lock down. But still - I guess I could have labelled it Welcome to our World in 2008. Hmmm, maybe I should homeschool - naw - then we'ld be in constant lock down or at least that's where I would end up by the end of the first week.

Can you hear it?

2008-09-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

The peace, the quiet, the stillness....the click of the keyboard....the sound of having three boys in school and one little girl blissfully napping. YAHOOO!!! I'm going to LOVE Tues. and Thurs. mornings!!!!!!! Ethan's been in school for almost three weeks, Aiden 2 weeks and today was Christian's first day in preschool. I felt a little sad as each one embarked on a new year but let me tell you I am going to FULLY enjoy my two mornings a week, a little under 2 1/2 hours each of just me and my girl. Ah, I can clean and organize without out the guilt of ignoring my children, I can blog and read (with only a little guilt that Rich is in work), I can go shopping with just one child... I may just sit and listen to nothing at all. Here is a little update on each of the boys and their fall endeavours.

Ethan has just started grade two. He seems to have a really sweet teacher... and so far no homework except for reading so Ethan likes her too. Though he still hates school - hopefully that changes. Ethan began a six week ice skating class with his friend. He's had one class so far and did well. He has done it with both his kindergarten and gr. 1 classes for six weeks each time - this time though he'll get more one on one time. Ethan is also playing soccer - he was just traded to another team b/c of scheduling conflicts! With having only one vehicle we knew Sat. mornings were going to be crazy with two soccer games but we were hoping that the games were one after another, but that wasn't the case. Every time Ethan's time changed so did Aiden's making it so I would have to go to every game - drop Rich and Aiden off at one field and take the other two to Ethan's games (even in the rain - yuck) and the fields were no where near each other. Well, the trade has now happened and the coach is willing to pick Ethan up when we need him too - phew!

Aiden has started kindergarten and loves school and his teacher. He had no problems going into class! He is going to be assessed by the schools speech therapist to make sure I guess that he is just delayed in speaking and has no other issues. I would like him to get the help if they can. He also began ice -skating lessons and did amazingly well. They didn't have a bar for him so he just had to go for it. He was able to skate a bit, he fell a lot but amazingly he was able to get up by himself. I think that Aiden is a natural athlete. Aiden began soccer this year and Rich is coaching him. Aiden is pretty focused while playing and loves that he has daddy time.

Christian just started preschool today. My baby boy is growing up! We don't usually put our kids in preschool at 3 - I like to have them home as long as possible but Christian really wanted to go to school - every day last year he would ask when was his school day (we called kids club his school). So, when I heard that a preschool was opening up at our school I signed him up. He walked right in and barely looked up to say bye to me. He's going to love it. He has been talking for weeks about showing this and that to his preschool friends. He also started ice skating on Monday and it was a gong show. He is with Aiden. However, unlike Aiden (and he is only 3), Christian spend the whole time (almost) flat out or sitting on the ice. By the end of the lesson he was able to stand a bit with the help of a small chair and an instructor holding onto the chair. It'll be interesting to see how he goes over the next five weeks. Christian also begins swimming lessons on Wed. mornings. Those he'll love and be great at. He's ended up being a pretty busy boy.

Our evenings are busy, our days are busy but ahhh, there is always Tues. and Thurs. mornings!!!!!

Almost slipped by!

2008-09-16T22:28:00.001-07:00

Oops, Callia is five months old today and it almost slipped by without me noticing! I can't believe she's almost half a year. So here is an update:

- weighs in at about 11 lbs 10oz

-rolls over from tummy to back - at least in bed when she's trying to see the door

-laughs when I sing eensy weensy spider and make the spider go up her leg

-laughs when you nuzzle her neck

-loves grabbing hair, faces

-tries to sit up in her bouncy seat

-really watches us eat

-often nurses now in less than 15min. - very nice

-has about three naps a day - ususally two of them are at least 2 hours

-chats quite a bit

-likes to play with her soother and can hold onto it and stick it in her mouth

-mostly sucks fingers and thumb

-been sleeping in her crib at night

I think that's about it. I was worried about school starting and when she would sleep but I think it'll work. This little girl is the most flexible baby I've ever had. She really is an angel at home - I say at home b/c when were out with lots of people she can seem fussy but at home she is soooo good!! Maybe she doesn't like too many people like her Poppa?

Our Princess, Our Family - Complete!

2008-09-16T22:15:00.001-07:00

When Callia was 7 weeks old we decided to have professional pictures taken of her. For each of our kids we've tried to do home photo shoots - Ethan we weren't overly successful - Aiden we got some cute ones (digital, whoohoo!) and Christian we someone come in to take pics. and they were fine but not exactly what we were looking for. After seeing friends pics. we found what we were looking for. On the day of the pics. I was totally nervous b/c I didn't know if Callia would be happy or fussy and if she was fussy the pictures would be hard to get. Anyways, she wasn't fussy and everything turned out fabulous. The experience ended up being so great b/c of the photographer Rima - as soon as we got there the atmosphere was relaxing - soft music, temp. up high so Callia wouldn't mind being naked, the boys taken elsewhere until it was their turn and we wern't rushed. If Callia fussed then Rima would suggest puting in her soother and we would get all ready for the shot and whip the soother out and take the picture. There was no rushing - we just waited for her to relax. It was very relaxing when Callia decided to pee all over my foot!:) Then when the boys came in Rima turned down the temp and turned up the lights and had a few tricks to get the boys to work with her. We went back a week or so later and picked out the pics. that we liked the best - very hard. The above are a few that we bought from her but are the proofs so what we have is even better quality. We did get an amazing family pic. too. If anyone is looking for someone to take fanastic pics. of their newborn go to http://www.rdcapturedmemories.com/. I wish we could have had pictures of all the kids like these ones but oh well - she is our princess!:)

Sore Legs

2008-09-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Yep my legs are hurting. Yesterday I went for a sprint. You see we were half way home when I realized that I forgot one of my kids. I asked my friend and the other kids if he was up ahead -no one knew so I ran ahead and when he wasn't there I knew it. Oops, I had forgotten Christian at school. My friend took Ethan and Aiden and I took the stroller and sprinted back to the school. I had so many thoughts going thru my head. When I arrived at school he wasn't on the primary playground - I was ready to lose it. However, as I rounded a corner there he was with a mom I know. She asked if I was missing someone. Thank God (literally) that she had noticed me walk by and when she went over to the intermediate playground and saw Christian she went up to him and asked him where his mommy was. Christian said - "classroom". She didn't think so, so she took him by his hand and that's when I found him. Phew!! I was so thrilled to see him and gave him a big hug. He had no idea why - he thought I was visiting Ethan's class. I'm glad he didn't know - I had visions of him freaking out and wandering around. When he saw me he just wanted to know where Ethan and Aiden were. I can't believe I forgot him - I guess it's not too bad - I've made it two years without losing anyone! Let's say I'll be doing head counts from now on!!

three years

2008-08-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

My baby boy is three! Christian has grown up so much over this past year. Ever since my inlaws bought a train cake pan he has been asking for a "choo, choo" party and finally, last week, he had one. The poor kid doesn't have many friends since he's the third born so he only had three other kids there -but he didn't care, he still had fun. I made him a train cake, the kids each painted their own wooden train and then we played a few games. It was fun and easy!

Christian is preener - it's not unlike a tween but younger. The poor kids is caught up between two worlds - that of a preschooler and that of an elementary aged kid. When asked what he wanted for his bday he said - choo, choo in one breath and then in the other - Darth Vader and his space ship. The train answer is the usual 2/3 year old answer - the Darth Vader not so much!! He also loves to watch Scooby Doo - Ethan would NOT have been allowed to watch that show.

Christian is a wonderful little boy. He is so full of life. Christian loves to laugh, he is thoughtful (sharing candy), he loves to give kisses/hugs (to anyone), he can't wait for "his class" to start, he has an answer to almost everything and he is all mine (well and Rich's). He also knows how to push buttons - especially Aiden's. He is happy to tag along with the older kids -even if they really aren't paying him any attention. He has to show our friend Coreen everything- in fact he would go live with her if he could. He has some classic sayings: " How too?", "my house", "take that", "Giddy -up bad boy", "where's Callia", "Callia sleeping" "Callia eating" and "choo, choo" for everything. Today he had wet undies and he told me that it was okay b/c they would dry - guess he had a point.

I love him to bits and can't wait to see how God is going to use him. He has a personality that draws people to him. Happy birthday Christian.

First Attempt

2008-08-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

We had a family bday celebration for Christian and his cousin so I made cupcakes. I decided to try to do it a little fancier than my usual slapping on of the icing. I borrowed a friends icing tips and bag and gave it a go. I have to say it was pretty easy - they're not perfect but I was satisfied for a first attempt. I'm looking forward to buying my own stuff and giving it a go. I never thought I would ever get into decorting cupcakes and cakes but it's fun - even when they' aren't perfect.

4 months

2008-08-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here are Callia's stats for month four!

11lbs 5oz

23" long

rolled over from tummy to back

giggles

enjoys standing

has really found a cute high pitched voice

has gone swimming outside a few times and ejoyed it (well didn't cry)

grabs toys and puts them into her mouth

trys to suck her thumb while eating

can spin herself all around on her back

seems to love music

grabs hair - Ethan didn't know what to do when she first did this to him
smiles all of the time

Sometimes I get a little funny feeling when I think - WOW I have a girl! Oh- it's a good funny feeling.

Pancakes

2008-08-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I used to HATE pancakes as a dinner, however, as an adult I love them. I love them b/c they're easy to make and they are always enthusiastically received by the kids. We add some fruit to them and there you have it a gourmet dinner. (or not but hey did I mention they're easy and the kids love them?) I found a recipe for pancakes online and they are delicious -so sweet that you can eat them without syrup. Though now I have tweaked the recipe in order to make it a little healthier. Here are both of them. I don't know how many pancakes they make but I make it for five of us and we have leftovers (a few). The boys have never once complained about the newer version. The new version is just as good texture wise just not as sweet.

Fast and Easy Pancakes I

2c milk
3/4c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. veg. oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2c flour
1 1/2 tbl. baking powder

Place milk, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla in blender and mix. Then add flour and baking powder and mix again. Blend until smooth. Heat lightly oiled frying pan and use 1/4c to pour out batter.

Fast and Easy Pancakes II

2c skim milk
1/4c sugar
2 eggs
1tsp. veg. oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbl. baking powder

follow same directions as above.

If any of you have a great recipe please share - we're always up to trying new things.

Maybe a bit too much?

2008-08-05T09:01:00.001-07:00

Rich and I used to watch Gilmore girls - however, we found during the final season that the show was jumping around to diff. days and times so we stopped watching it. With the lack of summer tv we decided to borrow the final season from the library. The upside to that is it's free, the downside is that you only have two weeks, thus we had a LOT of Gilmore Girls for two weeks. It was a great season! We began to think that we were maybe on Gilmore overload when Rich was at Krause farms buying berries (duh, what else) and after he phoned me regarding prices some girl that worked there said to him - Wow, you sound just like Lorelai and Rory from the Gilmore girls. Yikes!

Growing up can be fun!

2008-08-01T22:02:00.001-07:00

A little crack.
think our friend took this cute pic.
Ethan and I waving a hello in the middle.
we buried all of the boys and shaped them into mermaids

A couple of weeks ago we spent the afternoon at Aldergrove Lake. We had such a great time. We built sandcastles with the kids,filled up the "river" and then Ethan wanted to swim across the lake. I said okay and off we went. Ethan took the float board in case he got tired and off we went. I wasn't sure if I would make it b/c I haven't really swam in a long time but I thought I gotta try. It was fun. We swam all the way across and back (and I was completely fine, even with all of the tredding of water I had to do while Ethan relished being in the middle of the lake). It was so great to do a big kid thing with Ethan that his sibs. couldn't do. It was a taste of how life changes as the kids get bigger - it's fun -it's fun to do the things I enjoyed doing like swimming or one day having to go on roller coasters with them, or biking or playing games. It's special to have a little baby to cuddle and coo over as well as a big boy to swim across a lake with!

One of the best.

2008-08-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went down to Seattle for a couple of days. We had a great time -minus the ride down when we felt like throwing our bickering boys out the windows that don't open!:) We had a fanastic time at the Woodlands Zoo- park like setting, huge habitats and a lot of walking. We enjoyed Day out With Thomas - a little hokey but the boys didn't seem to notice. However, this post is about the hotel we stayed at - the Embassy Suites. Wow! It sure was a step up from where we stayed last year in Edmonton - though that's not hard. The suite was beautiful, the pool was clean but what impressed us the most was the breakfast. It was so delicious, not your typical, included continental fare. We had made to order omlets, srambled eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, cereals, toast, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, tea and pastries. Normally I'm pretty cheap and want to stay in the most reasonable place possible (the bomb in Edmonton) but this was the only one in the area that would take 6 people to a room and man I'm glad it was b/c we stayed somewhere I normally wouldn't have picked. Let's say you get what you pay for and I'm moving up from cheap for our next trip! (maybe)

Always my baby boy!

2008-08-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Christian is obsessed with our swing. He loves to turn it on and climb into it. I don't really care since it doesn't really work that great and is probably about 12 years old! It's funny that he does this b/c if anyone EVER calls him a baby he goes ballistic. He isn't even a little boy -he's a big boy. My baby boys turns three next week and when I asked him what he wanted he said Darth Vader and his ship. I thought WHAT - an almost three year old should not know who Darth VAder is - don't think he really does but he hears that name a lot from Aiden. Though after saying that in the toy store he went right on playing with the Thomas Train and then came to where we were carrying two huge train boxes saying 'these for my party". He's already stuck between being a big boy and being a little boy - didn't that happened until the tweens?

Dedication!

2008-08-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was Callia's dedication. I pray that we raise her and the boys in such a way that they know in their hearts that God is real, and that He is all powerful. I hope that it's not religion that they see but a relationship. I am thankful that God can touch their lives even though Rich and I may (okay will ) make mistakes in how we raise them.
Our day was great. Callia wore a dress that my mom knitted when we were pregnant with baby number one but when Ethan came out my mom was wise and realized that there was NO WAY we would put a boy in a long gown for his dedication. Even though the dress is not my typical "style" it was neat to have her dressed in a more traditional way. Her little arm was adorned by a bracelet her Grandad and Nana gave her. Ahhh, she could have been dressed in rags and she still would have been very cute (not biased at all). We had both sets of Grandparents at church, my Nana, one of Rich's sisters (and hubby), his brother (and family) and friends from England too. We all came back to our place for a yummy BBQ. It was a good time -even if Callia did sleep for most of it. I loved hosting everyone - it was great to be able to give to the people who support us in raising our kids.

Perfect Day

2008-08-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had a perfect day! If you have kids that love to hike and be outdoors then let me suggest Lynn Canyon to you. The kids LOVED hiking all around the trails. We enjoyed it way more than Capilano (and not just b/c it's free) but b/c there are way more trails for you to go on. We were there for two hours and didn't see most of the area. We discovered where you can get right down by the water (go to the left when you come off of the bridge) - the boys enjoyed looking at the river and throwing in sticks. Then if you have an entertainment book you could go to Maplewood Farms just a few minutes away. Every year I see the coupon ,but we aren't going to drive into North Van for just that. However, we decided we would go there after the hiking - the boys totally enjoyed it. Ethan loves animals so he was so happy to spend as much time as we would let him in the petting zoo. The ducks put on quite a show too. Some of our best family outings are just going out and enjoying nature. The boys love being able to just run. We love watching them be entertained without toys, tv, movies or computer.

I'll be back!

2008-07-28T20:04:00.001-07:00

I've got lots to write about - dedications, seattle, great day in Vancouver -however, Rich and I are on a Gilmore Girls marathon (something to write about that too) - we have to watch half the season by Thurs. b/c the dvds are due back to the library. So Chow - I've gotta go watch 3 episodes right now.

3 months old

2008-07-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Callia is three months old. Wow! She is such a joy. Callia is such a content baby, like all my other ones. She only cries when she is tired and hungry. Though, unfortunately she seems a little fussy when we're out - only b/c she's usually tired. Lets see how she has changed over this past month:

- sleeps thru the night from 8:00 until 7:something (usually)

- still will nap in the stroller/carseat

- when at home naps in her own crib (still sleeps with us too worried about Christian waking

her in the morning

- smiles all of the time

- has giggled a couple of times (the first time July4th)

- slobbers up a storm (unlike any of the others, may have to use a bib)

- weighs in at 10lbs 1oz and is 23" long

- grabs at toys hanging

- looks and focuses on everything around her

I love her to bits. Right now (since she's sleeping) I wish that every month really lasted two months since she is growing so quickly. When she was first born I was "thank God" I'm never going to go thru this again - it was hard juggling the four of them. It still is a juggling act but now that Callia is sleeping thru and is pretty predictable it's not quite so overwhelming and I find myself thinking "wow, I can't believe she's our last". I couldn't have any more - I'm at my limit, I know that, but there's just something about babies that's addicting - maybe it's their smell?

Second Chances

2008-07-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the boys and I made some double chocolate chip cookies last week and I decided to use my pamper chef pan once again as well as my regular one. Guess what! These cookies turned out way better on the pamper chef pan - in fact on the other pan the cookies burned on the bottom - weird. Anyways, guess I'll keep using the pamper chef pan for cookies too - I'll probably use both unless, like the dbl. choc. chip cookies, one pan is better than the other. Sorry, no comparsion pics. - I was too busy.

Step up to the plate

2008-07-10T21:04:00.001-07:00

Okay everyone now is the time to step up to the plate. Most, if not all, have heard that Dr. Morgentaler is going to receive the order of Canada at the end of the month and many people are upset by this. I am, and I've decided to do something about it. I had an email sent to me by some family group last week urging me to write the gov., my pastor at church on Sunday urged us to write a letter and then today I was flipping channels while feeding Callia and there on 100 Huntley Street they were urging people to write. I ignored the first email I received, I guiltily ignored my pastor but today after being urged a third time I decided to do. I emailed the queen (according to the show it can make a difference and has in the past), the prime minister and a bunch of other people. Step up and do it people if you disagree with it. We often complain that we, as Christians, are never heard, that there is a minority out there with a very loud voice - well lets stop complaining to each other and lets do something about it -write - send an email. Let our voice be heard. I know we're all busy. My life is busy I have four kids, my hubby has been away and I've been busy packing for a little trip so I would rather be relaxing then trying to figure out a polite way to say that I disagree with this moron getting the highest civillian award Canada has to offer but I had to. This country needs us to start voicing our opinion. The email doesn't have to be long - it just has to be to the point and polite. You can get a bunch of email addresses from the 100 Huntley Street website - they have a button on the right side of their site that says Dr. Morgentaler (or something like that). Take a minute and do it - you'll feel like you've accomplished something (even more than you have already today).

Shimmin Look-alike Meter

2008-07-06T22:13:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Shimmin Look-alike Meter

2008-07-06T22:11:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Shimmin Look-alike Meter

2008-07-06T22:09:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family album - Geneology

Shimmin Look-alike Meter

2008-07-06T22:06:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Ancestors - Free genealogy

STAY AWAY!!!!!!

2008-07-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

AHHHHHH! I just came away from my third tupperware party in a month and I think I've been scarred for life. Not by tupperware but from the freakin' mosquitoes in Fort Langley at the ferry. I've NEVER seen sooooo many in my entire life. Yesterday Rich took the boys across the ferry to meet up with his parents and he was bit five times - I thought ah, mosquitoes love Rich (and he did say they were everywhere) it won't be so bad. However, I believed him enough to spray myself with off b/f I left and to spray a blanket for Callia with it. So I arrive at the ferry and have to park practically back in town - that's okay, until I get out of the van. When I go to get the stroller out there are ten or more swarming around (yuck) , however when I went to get Callia out I almost died- it was as though I had parked on a mosquito nest (if there is such a thing) - there were hundreds of them (no exaggeration) swarming around the door so I opened up the opposite door and yanked her outta there. We made it to the other side of the river (Callia unscathed, me not so lucky b/c I didn't spray my face by my eyes!) and we even it made it back to the van after the party without them flying away with us. Callia only had one land on her forehead and I got it. But I'm surprised we made it home safe - people probably thought I was drunk b/c it's hard to kill the buggers while you're driving!!! Anyways, stay away from the ferry and fort Langley - it's a beautiful place but a nightmare in July.

Summer activity

2008-07-04T21:37:00.001-07:00

Ethan enjoyed licking up the cornmeal - yuck!

rolling out the dough

Spreading the sauce
slicing their own meat
Aiden's cheese had to be just right
watching the pizzas bake
The boys love to bake so this summer I thought I would let them each pick out one thing from a kid's cookbook to make each week. So this week Aiden chose rice krispie squares. Ethan chose lime popsicles and Christian chose mini- pizzas. Each one was really easy to do, kept the boys occupied and was yummy. Here is the recipe for the lime popsicles:

Apple Lime Freezies

Apple juice 2 cups

Lime jello powder 4 serving size

Apple juice 2 cups

Apple sauce 1 cup

plastic drink cups 10 (5oz size)

popsicle sticks 10 (I used my popsicle holders and then cups to make "slushies")

Pour first amount of apple juice into the saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until just starting to boil.

Remove from heat and add lime gelatin. Stir until dissolved.

Add the second amount of apple juice and the apple sauce and stir.

Pour mixture into whatever containers you're going to use and freeze.

fr. Company's Coming Kids only Snacks

Strawberries

2008-07-04T20:58:00.001-07:00

We went to Krause Brother's farms on Wed. evening and bought a 15lb flat of strawberries. The boys thought we were going to pick strawberries - if I had known that was something they wanted to try I would've taken a bucket along. Oh well- next year. We bought our strawberries and then sat and enjoyed their berry shortcake - SO delicious!! I think I'll be going back for raspberries, blueberries and anything else they sell just so I can enjoy the desserts!! Anyways, the next day I enlisted the boys to help me make strawberry jam. They loved helping. What fun mashing up berries!! They also put in the pectin, the sugar and stirred it all up. We were going to friend's for dinner so I made a strawberry pie to take. First one I've ever made and it turned out yummy. I brushed on chocolate to the crust and served it with fresh whipping cream. MMMMMM. Then today I chopped up the rest of the berries to freeze. I think if the boys had their way they would've just eaten the entire 15 lbs in one sitting!

Which one would you eat?

2008-06-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Okay that's not really the right question b/c not matter what a cookie looks like I'm going to eat it - unless it's dripping with slobber and then maybe not. So I bought the large bar pan from pamper chef and from my understanding this pan is suppose to make everything turn our fabulous. I tend to disagree. I think it bites at making cookies. This is my second attempt at using it for cookies and both time my cookies have turned out flat (kind of look like an overstretched shirt) and are a yucky, uneven colour. I much prefer my old baker secret pan - the cookies turn out plump and evenly coloured. Anyways, maybe someone out there in blogger world has had better cookie making success and has suggestions. I do enjoy the pan for baking other things such as homemade fries or meat. Don't you worry though - ALL of the cookies will be gone in no time.

PS if you can't tell wich cookie I like best from the picture - it's the one on the left - this picture doesn't really show the true blahness of the pamper chef cookie.

New Post

2008-06-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hi there - as I was going thru my posts I noticed that one hadn't been published - so there is one from the beginning of june called "a little nutty" - just in case you care. The pics. of Callia sleeping are cute (if I do say so myself).

Preschool Graduation!

2008-06-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Aiden graduated from preschool from last night. It was so much fun! The class sang quite a few songs and Aiden was fantastic. He did all of the actions and sang too. It's so funny b/c out of him and Ethan he is quieter but he is the one who does all of the actions to songs when he sings in front of people. Aiden's teachers then handed out their self book and diplomas. We watched a dvd of the year and then ate. I can't believe I have another one going into school this September. I felt a little teary as Aiden sang his first song - didn't feel as sad about him leaving preschool and heading off to kindergarten as I did about Ethan - probably b/c I know I have two more that are younger than preschool age and that I have one older than him. Don't know if that explanation makes sense to anyone but it does to me. My parents and us gave him star wars lego sets for his grad. presents - he was soooo excited!! That's all he has played with today.

I've had it!

2008-06-20T21:25:00.000-07:00

What you see is in the above picture is my last (maybe) bottle of cleaner! No, I'm not going to let the germs invade our house, at least not anymore than they have already, but I've decided to go green. I'm not an environmentalist- maybe it's the rising cost of gas, the cruddy weather - I'm not really sure why but I've decided that I have to do my part to stop buying products that are not good for the environment and probably not that great for us either. We've had a lady give talks about natural cleaning products at our ladies group at church and I think that I'm going to give them a try. She says they're cheaper than regular cleaners so that's a bonus and hopefully they also clean as well - if they do then that's what we'll use from now on. So bring on the vodka!

2 months

2008-06-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

-weighing in at 8lbs 16oz

-last night slept 8 1/2 hours straight!!!!

-cried it out and is now falling asleep on her own - in her bed or carseat or stroller and transferring over to any of those and continuing to sleep

-puting weight on her legs

-holding head very steady

-grew a birth mark on her back that should disappear by one

-smiling (so rewarding)

-cooing (loving it)

-eating every 2.5 to 3.5 hours during the day

-last couple of days eating quicker - only 25-30 min. instead of 40

-focusing on objects and people's faces

I'm loving Callia so much!! Though i'm sad she isn't a newborn any more I'm loving her smiles and cooing. I can't wait until she starts to giggle. The boys are enjoying the smiling too. I could eat her up!

Four Generations

2008-06-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

It's taken 6 1/2 years but we've done it - we've done a four generation picture. I didn't think it would ever happen - I remember when Ethan was born and Rich had a picture done with him, Ethan and his dad - I thought it was so cool and now I've been able to have one not only with my mom and Callia but also with my Nana too - even more cool.

Daddy's Day!

2008-06-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

We started off the day with Night b/f french toast - it was yummy except that the liquid completely burned onto the bottom of the pan -oops a bit of work for daddy later (he insisted). We then went to church and after church we had lunch at my dad and mom's. We made our own subs - which were delicious and made banana splits. I went to the park with my parents and the boys while Rich stayed back and relaxed and held down the fort in case Callia woke up. On the way home we picked up our fav. fast food - taco del mar and then just relaxed after the boys went to bed. The night b/f we were with Rich's dad and had a great bbq and time hanging out with his parents and his brother's family.

Callia gave Rich the picture frame (duh) -Rich's hand is covering where it says "my prince has come and his name is daddy" - it was just perfect. The boys picked out a hockey stick for him - to make him truely Canadian and to save his back (he has been using the little kiddie sticks). Rich is an awesome dad. It is so great to see how he is sooo able to relate to the boys (good thing since he is one) but it's more than that. He loves soccer, the boys love soccer as well as hockey and football - he loves star wars and so do the boys. Ethan can't wait to watch Narnia and Lord of the Rings. They all love video games and building things out of lego. Yep, it's great that they have all that in common even now when the boys are only 2,4 and 6. Up until today Ethan figured Rich was off the entire summer like him - he's a little bit ripped off that he's just with me. It has been so special to see Rich with Callia - he is going to be the daddy wearing the tiara playing princess with his daughter like on that kraft commercial.

Ahh the thumb

2008-06-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

I stopped feeding Callia today b/c she had fallen asleep and Christian wanted a snack. I wondered why she didn't start to cry and when I came back a minute or two later I found her sucking like crazy on her thumb. I'm soooo glad that she is enjoying her digits since once the boys found their fingers or thumbs they started to sleep longer thru the night. I know you must be thinking "ya, but then you have to break them of that habit" but so far my kids have given up their thumb/finger sucking at six months. Hopefully she follows her brothers lead too and will give it up at 6 months - right now I'm not going to worry about it - I'm going to enjoy the extra sleep that'll come with her soothing herself. (eventually)

All Girl??

2008-06-12T16:17:00.001-07:00

Nothing like a little girl and her guns! I'm not sure if I have much luck having Callia turn out to be a "girly girl".

A Little Nutty

2008-06-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

I think I'm a little nutty. You see Callia is now 6 1/2 weeks old and she's turning the corner from being a newborn to being a baby. One of my goals with each of our babies has been to get them to sleep on their own without having to be fed, rocked or soothered to sleep and to get them on a schedule. I do this so they sleep thru the night earlier. I was worried that Callia wouldn't get on a schedule b/c we're always out and about but she has - in fact she has done it herself - it's not 100% gauranteed but it's going pretty good so far. And now for the last couple of days Callia has been going down for her naps in her bed and right now she is having a really good long one - which is where the nutty part comes in. On one hand I'm soooo happy that she is going down with less and less crying (it wasn't much to begin with) but on the other hand I know that once she gets used to sleeping in her bed the days of us being able to hold her while she falls asleep are nearly gone!

What a dad!

2008-05-17T21:34:00.001-07:00

Today we had our first family day as six, and what fun we had. Today Rich proved what it means to be a great dad. Rich and I were relaxing when we heard Christian crying - his boat got loose and was floating down the little river. Well, Rich got up and started trucking down the river after it, and it was going fast. He went after it, went out of sight and then we saw him return. He had the boat but he was missing something, his shoes. Only a great dad would go chasing after a two dollar boat, in freezing cold water (good thing we don't want a fifth) over very slippery rocks in order to make sure his little boy has his boat, even if his shoes are floating somewhere down stream.

It was so awesome to be out as family, to do something "normal" that didn't involve people googling over Callia. Don't get me wrong we love the googling but normal is good too. The boys had a great time trying to catch the little fish, floating the boats in the stream, digging holes, blowing dandelions and enjoying the sunshine in general. It's so much fun to watch them play together and to see them enjoying nature. I'm looking forward to the summer and having many more days like today.

So Blessed!

2008-05-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

This month has been a month of blessings! So many times Rich and I have been astonished at people's generosity to us - from gifts to meals. The blessings actually began when I first was pregnant and four friends lent me mat. clothes. It was a blessing that I didn't have to go out and buy all new stuff (I was prego. at a different time with the other three). Then the blessings have continued since she was born. We've had so many people bless us with meals - I've made maybe four meals in the past month - what a treat to be able to focus on my baby, my three other kids and now house stuff instead of worrying about cooking. Not to mention I haven't had to worry about juggling nursing and making dinner! We also have two showers coming up - wow! I didn't expect that at all -since she is the fourth but how awesome it is since we have nothing for a girl! We've already received so many gifts and cards that it's been amazing. We are so thankful and feel so loved - what fantastic feelings when one is feeling tired and sometimes a little overwhelmed. I can't wait until a friend has a baby again so we can return some blessings!

One Month!

2008-05-17T21:07:00.001-07:00

I can do it!! I can't believe that Callia is a month old - that I've been sleep deprived for a whole month now and now I know I can do - I can live without enough sleep. When she was first born I didn't think I'ld make it but I am. Let's see - what's changed in a month?

-Callia enjoys her baths now

-just b/f four weeks she began to nap without being held

-she nurses every three hours (sometimes two) unlike the boys who were every 1-2hours

-Callia loves to nap in her carseat (good thing since some days that's her life)

-Ethan can't wait to hold her everyday

-When we're not watching Aiden will rock her carseat gently and sing to her

-Christian is always ready to put the soother into her mouth - even when she's

happy and/or sleeping peacefully, he also calls her Baby Callia gives her the gentlest

kisses

-had her first all day outing at Williams park

-takes 1-2 hours to put back to bed in the middle of the night, hard to feed at 10:30pm

-night she turned one month Callia went from 11 -5:15am!! Yahoo!

-takes the soother well - life savor with her being the fourth and me not being able to hold her 24/7

This entry is more so I remember what went on so I can add it to her journal once I buy it. Each of the kids has a journal and I try to write in it once a month - I include achievements, stuff we've done as a family and things that have been hard to - hopefully they'll enjoy looking back when they're bigger.

Our Girl!

2008-04-20T12:44:00.001-07:00

Callia Marie Shimmin

April 16, 2008

7lbs 3oz 20"

Wow! I can't believe we really have a little girl. Once I knew the sex of our baby I told Rich that "Now, I'm excited". Not only that but the surgery was almost over and I and the baby made it thru so it was time to start celebrating! The morning went so smoothly - I couldn't have asked for a better day. I didn't die of starvation or thirst, I wasn't bumped - in fact according to Rich (and he would know since he was facebooking everything) I went into the operating room 10:50 (early) and Callia was born at 11:05. That's pretty great for being on time. God answered every one of our prayers to the letter that morning - I basically worried the last few days for nothing!! I know we had so many people praying for us that day and we felt it! The doc., anaesthesiologist and nurses made it quite clear that this was a riskier surgery b/c of it being my fourth but I was fine - not nervous, peaceful. The anaesthesiologist even put in an extra line for an IV in case anything a happened during surgery but nothing did - except for our beautiful girl. Anyways, I have someone calling my name who needs to be fed so I gotta run. Just wanted to say thanks for praying - we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

Pictures with Significance

2008-04-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

These are two of my favourite pictures - neither is perfect but they both represent something important to me. The first one - Rich took seconds after Callia was born. This pic. is significant b/c it's the moment we found out for sure that Callia was a girl and b/c you can see her umbilical cord (which I didn't even notice at that moment). The first reason for it being sig. if obvious but the second may not be to most. You see, I've been through four pregnancies, experienced waking up in labour, water breaking all over the floor, 29 hours of labour but I've never actually pushed out a bambino which means I've never seen a baby the second he/she has been born. So this is why the first pic. is also special - I was able to see Callia all gooey, seconds old and I saw her cord - the first one ever! Rich was even able to cut the cord - the second for him.

The second pic. is special b/c I think it represents our family well. Of course I wanted to get the perfect first family of six shot but know what (may be a suprise to some) we aren't perfect and this picture captures "us". In this picture I see a life full of fun, adventure, mishaps and lots of love! We all tried to look our best but co-ordinating six people isn't easy - good luck to any future photographers we go to.

It's in the eyes!

2008-04-15T14:07:00.001-07:00

One of the things that has been neat this pregnancy is Ethan's excitment - especially about the baby being a girl. Though sometimes we've wondered if he's pretending to be b/c he knows he should be. I wondered until this week. When we told him the baby would come in four more sleeps he raised his arms up and let out a yipee! That could be faked but if you saw the excitement in his eyes no one would every wonder if a six year old boy could be excited to welcome another sibbling into the world.

It's Almost Over...

2008-04-11T18:07:00.001-07:00

Wow - I can't believe I have less than five days to meet our new baby. If I had a dollar for every time people ask me if I'm excited we could be living in a four bedroom house! Of course that is the obvious question to ask - the same one I've asked ladies at this stage in their pregnancy but the weird thing is I don't know how I feel. I have so many different emotions going on right now. I told one friend today that I'm going through a bit of a mourning right now - I've gone thru it with every pregnancy. I'm sad that our family of five is ending, I was sad when our family of two, three and four were ending too. I guess b/c I know that this family works - that we are good with three kidlets, we know how to juggle them (kind of), how to love them and how to try spend time with them. I've started to wonder if I've made the most of my one on one time with Christian, do we spend enough time with Aiden and will we remember that Ethan is only 6 and not to give him too much responsibility. However, with the birth of each additional child I know that as soon as he has been born he has fit right into the family - that all of a sudden the family of three, four and five works and I know that this family of six will work too - it's just not here yet.

I think I'm a little more nervous too b/c of "knowing" the sex of the baby. I'm afraid that they could be wrong - if they are they are I can't change it but I think that if I didn't know than I wouldn't be so pumped for one sex over the other. I would have been hoping for a girl (most likely by now, even though at the beg. I wasn't) but expecting a boy. Though now we're expecting a girl and I sure hope they're right - so yeah, I think knowing is making me nervous - I don't think I fully believe that we're going to have pink this time next week.

I'm also realizing that this is it - I'll never be pregnant again. I'm fine with that - I'm not one who loves to be pregnant - not with the nausea, and bleeding at the beginning but by this point I'm fine with it. I am going to miss feeling the baby move but that's really about it. Last time with Christian I was sad that this part of my life was probably over but with this baby I don't think I'm sad - I'm ready, I'm fine with the fact that we are moving on as a family, I have no desire for any more but still it's weird that within the week I'll never feel anything more than gas rumbling in my tummy!

Yep, that about sums it up. I think pregnancy emotions are running a little high too - if I thought about any of the above for too long I could probably set off a few tears. So between those above thoughts - being a little worried about having surgery (it's less worrisome when it's a means to ending one's labour pain than when planned) - being hungry - having time for the other three - making sure the kids are fine while I"m in the hospital I know I'm excited. Wednesday really can't get here fast enough. Ask me again next week in the afternoon as I'm holding our new bundle- I'm ready to meet the sixth member of the Shimmin clan.

Build a Bear

2008-04-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

the pictures are out of order - here Ethan is "cleaning" the extra fluff off the baby's dog
Rich and Christian working on the birth certificate
the boys and their animals - Ethan chose a monkey, Aiden a dog and Christian a polar bear

stuffing the animals
all of us stuffing the baby's
the ladies do fun things with the kids b/f they put the hearts into their pets
putting the heart into his doggy

On Sunday we drove to Coquitlam Centre to take the boys to build a bear. When I was pregnant with Christian we were down in White Rock and there was a stand set up where Ethan was able to make the baby a bear - so I thought it would be neat to do that again. However, there are no little stands in White Rock right now so off we went to Build a Bear. The boys each picked out their own animal and then picked out a dog (typical of our house) for their new baby. The boys had fun stuffing the animals and washing them up. When the baby is born they'll bring the doggy, in its home, to the hospital and give it to the baby. It was a fun experience and Rich and I figured our boys will probably never be invited to a Build a Bear party.

All we need is the baby

2008-04-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

These two b/w pictures will go into the picture frames.

On the top part of the armoire elephants and bunnies are carved into it.

This weekend Rich finished puting up the shelves and picture frames in Christian/babys' room. Last weekend Rich's dad brought over the armoire that he built for their room. It is beautiful and it is so awesome to be able to easily get clothes in and out instead of a fight like with Christian's old dresser. Rich's dad has ordered in some special door knobs for it but they're not in yet - can't wait to see what they are like. Rich's mom made the bedding too for Christian and the baby - what a challenge to find something to coordinate for a boy and a girl. I like Christian's bedding but I LOVE the girls probably b/c pink is something we don't have in this house. (if the ultrasound was wrong and the baby's a boy he may still be using a floral quilt!). We also need to add the pictures to the frames and the baby's name up on the wall. Ahh, so everything is ready to go - the babies bag (not mine), the soother (that we never use) is boiled, starting last night Rich wants to make sure the cameras are charged - oh I have to write out instructions for the other three. Better get on that right now!

Choo Choo!

2008-03-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

Last night my inlaws gave us a birthday cake pan with 9 little train cars on it - fantastic except for Christian's obsession with it! As soon as he saw it he was carrying it around and kept saying my choo choo birthday cake. I would tell him not tonite and he'ld say "two days". I finally said tomorrow. So my mother-in law gave me a cake mix and today we made his choo choo birthday cake. In fact this morning when I walked into his room he said to me "my choo, choo bday cake at my house?" I assured him it was and after he asked a dozen times I asked him to stop and said we would make it after lunch. We did - it turned out great - the kids had fun decorating and eating it!

In his Element.

2008-03-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

Don't know who has been waiting longer to play Lord of the Rings (a strategic game) Ethan or Rich. I guess Rich b/c he's older and I've shown no interest in learning it. Though, Ethan on the other hand has been chomping at the bit to learn -probably since he was three. Well, today was the day. Rich taught him the basic skills of the game - they played three games in an hour and Ethan won all three. I can see many Sat. afternoons, especially when it's rainy out, being spent with father and son(s) (and maybe daughter) playing these battle games. What's an afternoon without a bit of killing. Hmmm, what's mom to do - relax, shop, read....endless possibilities.

We're at it again.

2008-03-08T19:53:00.001-08:00

Potty training for Christian is serious business. When I first told him he was going to wear underwear and that he couldn't pee or poop in it he cried for a good 10 minutes.
I had to sneak this pics. of him - the day b/f I asked him if I could take his picture and he said no- he's pretty private about his pottying - don't let the potty in the living room fool ya!

Ahh, toilet training for the third time - well first time for Christian but third time for us. I have to say that I HATE toilet training. I decided on Thursday that I would begin down this road with Christian since we had nothing to do (rare thing it seems) except take Ethan to school and pick him up again. Training the first kid isn't so bad since you can lock yourself in your house for a week and let them pee on the pot all they want - only draw back is that you don't know what you're doing and you're stressing out. The second kid isn't so easy b/c you can no longer lock yourself away b/c you have preschool or school for the first one as well as other events for the older sib but hey you're slightly more relaxed b/c you know they're going to get it. Well, I'm not quite sure when one is suppose to find time for the third kid (I don't even want to think about the next one) since there is not one day that we don't have to leave the house for something. However - you're quite relaxed b/c you for sure know that they'll get it and hey what's a bit of pee on the floor? So, that's why I picked this past Thurs. - we were basically at home all day. Christian did awesome - he only peed on the floor once (and he tried to tell me it was juice) but the rest of the time he peed in the pot. However, we had to go to school to pick up Ethan - I brought along a little pack of wipes, new undies, diaper etc. and we ended up needing them b/c he POOPED in his pants. We survived it - down one pair of undies -but we survived and then on our walk home he peed his pants. Of course the poor kid was away from a potty for 1 1/2 hours - I tried to get him to pee in a bush but that does take a bit of work to learn how to pee standing up, on demand. Anways, we'll see how it goes. Unlike the other two - I'm not going to use pullups for short jaunts out or else he'll be in them all the time. Today he told me twice he had to pee - yahoo - we're on the way to potty success ( I hope). We have six weeks until the new bambino arrives - I think by then I only have to worry about changing little newborn poops - phew!

Soccer comes to an end

2008-03-08T14:27:00.001-08:00

Just as it's starting to warm up a bit outside and the promise of sunnier Saturdays is just around the corner soccer season ends for Ethan. He has had an awesome year. It's amazing that last year he was more busy twirling his sleeves than scoring goals and that last year he thought he scored every Sat. (but didn't) but this year he actually is scoring every game. Rich coached his team and they had a lot of fun. Next year Aiden is going to be joining - I think our lives are bound to be full of a lot soccer - potentially, if all our kids like it, we'll be having four practices a week and four games on a Saturday.

Valentines Day!

2008-03-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

Holidays like Valentines can be a lot of fun b/c they aren't "big" deals like Christmas or Easter so you can do your own thing - make your own memories. Ever since we've had kids we haven't gone out for dinner on Valentine's day and even b/f kids we didn't make a big deal out of it. We always went out to eat (any excuse will do) but we didn't do presents/flowers. So - anyways, since kids we've had dinner at home - candlelight, special food and treats. The most romantic Valentine's day was when Rich made the dinner - he made an appy, main course and dessert from our favourite restaurants- he even made a menu up. It was very sweet and delicious! As the kids get older we've continued to make it a special meal. This year we brought out the china, table cloth and candles and had a fantastic meal. We had ribs, fries (not fancy or romantic but it was something Rich made for that special meal since we love fries with hot sauce), and a seven layer hot mexican dip. For dessert we took the boys out for a Dairy Queen treat. Oh - at dinner each of us had to say what we love about each other. It was a great evening and the boys loved it too.

A GIRL!!!!

2008-01-20T19:19:00.000-08:00

Rich and I always said that if we became pregnant for a fourth time that we would find out the sex of the baby. I was all for it until the time came. I was nervous that I would be disappointed to find out we were having another boy. Anyways, I went for my ultrasound at the beg. of Dec. but the technician said he couldn't tell us - I was okay with that. He would let my doctor know and then he could tell me. My appointment was for Dec. 27th. I asked the doctor to write the info. down - I wanted to hear it with Rich and plus I didn't know if I would break down crying if it was a boy. Rich wanted me to read it in the car - I said nope - he came rushing down to the garage when I got home -but I said nope let's go up to our room. We got there - I opened up the paper and on it was "It's a girl! Congratulations!" I was stunned - I think I cried just as much with this information. I won't fully believe it until I have her snuggled in my arms. I'm a little nervous since all I know are boys but so excited too!! Ethan is totally pumped! Aiden either wants a brother or three sisters and Christian is oblivious. Aiden did tell his sunday school teacher today that his mommy is having a "lady baby". It's amazing to me that for the first time in my pregnancies I wasn't praying for a girl - just for a healthy baby of either sex. OF course nothing is for sure - we could still end up with a baby with some extra tackle!

Where did all the money go?

2008-01-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

This past week Ethan wanted to buy himself some Star Wars cards so we told him that he had to use his money from his piggy bank - he was fine with that. Aiden wanted to join in and took all of his money out - they had 15 and 14 dollars respectively. Rich took them out Thurs. night to look for cards for Ethan and something for Aiden but they came home without anything. They were discouraged but we told them that we would take them out this weekend to Toy Traders. Rich took them there today - once they arrived he phoned me to ask how much money Aiden should have - I said about 14 or 15 dollars - Rich said - Oh - he has about 2. I said oops he forgot his five dollar bill at home but we couldn't figure out what he did with the rest of his money. You see Aiden is very particular about money - if anything is left out anywhere he will find it and claim it for himself. Once claimed he will put it into his piggy bank for safe keeping b/c he wants to be rich - so b/c he is pretty careful with each penny we couldn't figure out where it went. We could have taught him a lesson and said sorry you can't buy your toy b/c you lost your money but we quickly decided on the phone that he could still buy something and we'ld just find the money. We found it alright. When Rich came home I asked him if Aiden knew where the rest of his money went - he sure did. The little guy, who wants to be rich, gave the missing money to Christian a couple of days ago and put it into Christian's piggy bank. What a big brother!!

He then came up to me tonite and asked if he could buy a new webkinz tomorrow. I said nope b/c he had bought a train today. He looked at me and said "oh, so if I spend my money on something I can't buy anything else". I said yep. Instead of being disappointed he declared that he was going to look for money all night so that tomorrow he could buy a webkinz. If he does find 16 dollars lying around his room tonite I'm going to raid it tomorrow!