Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I"m not sure who is excited more me and Justin or the kids. We've decided we can't wait anymore so we're letting the kids open all their presents today with Grandma and tomorrow they can enjoy their Santa gifts. I'm going to make a yummy mommy meal tonight in hopes to fill my children's belly's and have them in bed somewhat early because I know tomorrow they will be wide awake at 5 AM.

Tomorrow we're having a special Christmas dinner with a wonderful family in town and then Boxing Day... Papa Harold arrives. New Years Aunti Jenna, Uncle Justin and Uncle Nathan get to come visit for a week. Then we'll take a trip up to Apex and let the kids go tubing down the mountains.

Yesterday we had some snow, enough for some tobogganing so if it decides to stick around for the day and not melt we might get a chance to use our sleds.

Enjoy the holidays everyone, we miss you!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Our Christmas present came a little early this year. Last night we had a bit of a scare. I was having some severe sharp pains in my side and because of all our previous pregnancy troubles we thought we better get to the hospital. The doctor on call was a complete ass and that is an understatement. A total mean uncompassionate heartless man. First of all he didn't believe my pain was coming from where I said it was then he sends in a nurse with a doplar and because she couldn't find a heartbeat he says, well if your bodyis preparing for miscarriage there isn't anything I can do for you. So go home and come back tomorrow for an ultrasound. I said I wanted an ultrasound right then and there with their portable machine and he continued to fight me on it until I told him that if he didn't wheel in the machine I would do it myself and that I wasn't leaving the hospital until he could tell me my baby was alive or not. So afer he storms out of my room whipping the curtains he sends another nurse in to try and get me to leave the hospital because they needed my bed. FORGET IT!!! Then another nurse comes in...one who heard what was going on from outside the curtain and she said if they didn't do the ultrasound she would do it herself. Finally the doctor comes back in and does the ultrasound not really knowing what he's doing and instead of moving the probe around he leaves it in one spot not seeing anything and says ... are you even pregnant...when you saw your gyno what did he even see.... Justin and I both said...A baby! He said he didn't see a baby....but after he moved the probe around there was our little bundle of joy bouncing around my uterus. He then says he still has no idea if anything is wrong but that was enough for me at the moment. Something to go home and have hope about and pray about. So today we went for our ultrasound and the baby is perfect. Healthy, measuring on date and everything else looks absolutely perfect. We both started crying and hugged the ultrasound technician. The best Christmas news we could hear.

Here is a little funny story that happened this morning.
Cohen was playing with Carter's slinky and stuck it in his diaper, the back of his diaper. He's running around as the slinky is bouncing up and down and we're all laughing when he stops to poop. Justin is hoping it's a toot and unwinds the slinky from his diaper and indeed he pooped, and pooped on the slinky.
Never a dull moment in the Seitz home...

Moments like these....

This morning Carter was off school. He had to attend in the afternoon because of a big school performance. He was so happy to be home and we got to hang out and make muffins and have car races. Then I had to do some tidying up while Cohen was sleeping so I started in the living room and I was talking to Carter but no answer. So I walked to my room to make my bed when there he was making it for me. I took one look at it and was so happy he thought of doing something to help me so we could play some more. It was made the way kids do...messy blankets, pillows all over the place and sheets half out of the bed but it was the best bed making I've ever seen. I left it and loved the gesture and thanked him and we ate some muffins and drank some milk. Moments like these I love and cherish being a mommy!!!

Lately....

Last weekend we celebrated Emily's 9th birthday. We went glow bowling with all the kids Saturday night. They were so good and had so much fun. Here are a few photo's:

Presents, presents and more presents. The kids that joined us for the birthday were more than generous and gave Emily wonderful gifts. She received a few gift cards for Claire's so she's really anxious to go and shop shop shop!! Gramma Vonn and Uncle Eric and Auntie Krisitn were able to come join us for the party with baby Harrison. Other news on the homefront:

Yesterday was the first report card of the season, Emily's first report card with letter grades and Carter's very first report card. The reports were outstanding. Emily has straight A's and is exceeding in most subjects far beyond her grade level and Carter is a top notch kindergartener.

Our little beaner baby is doing great. We had an ultrasound on Thursday and it was so nice and clear and great to see such a healthy little baby. We could see the head and bum and arms and legs and a rapid beating little heartbeat. We were given a due date of June 27th and we'll have a planned c-section, if all goes well then baby will be here around mid June if the baby follows the same path as our last two boys baby will be here end of May beginning of June. All we want is a healthy pregnancy this time and a very healthy lil baby. It's exciting and scarey all at the same time.

Cohen is growing like a weed, he's going through a major growth spurt right now which is a little rough on me in the evenings but he's been really good during the day. He has taken up the act of climbing ON EVERYTHING. When I have pushed in all the chairs and blocked off the kitchen entrance he builds things to climb on. And dances and dances and dances. If he even hears the beat of fingers tapping on a table he starts bouncing. It's hillarious.

Carter on the other hand is having more difficulty. Since September he has been suffering on and off with headaches but they are always accompanied with a stuffy nose and many other things. Recently they have gotten worse and we're trying to find out with frequent visits to doctors what is going on with this little guy. He's always been such a sick boy and we're tired of seeing him always under the weather. Hopefully we find a solution to his problems soon because it's really starting to bring him down and Justin and I are getting more stressed as the days go on. Please keep our little guy in your prayers, it's not an easy thing to see a child sick all time. I just hope it's nothing serious and an easy fix. Hope to God it is!!

Justin has just completed Chapter 2 so it's off to the publisher. He received his 1st chapter back with really positive remarks and encouragement. Which is great motivation to keep on writing.

And I think I'm ready to get my butt in gear to go shopping. I think I've made the family wait long enough while I blogged and uploaded photo's. :0)

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Doodeedoo

Well I think I'm getting used to the new "do" hairdo that is. I am over the fact that if it's just done with a quick blow dry that it still looks really uneven so I'm flipping it. It also make me look more like I'm 27 than 5 so I"m living with it.

The other "do" we're preparing for is Emily's 9th birthday. AHHHHH. We had a huge awakening as parents. No more my little pony parties and strawberry shortcake and barbie parties. Yet she still plays with all those things she wants more Big girl parties. So we're doing a bowling party. As proud as I am as a mother and as happy as I am that my kids are healthy and reaching these birthday milestones I am also shocked at how fast it goes and saddened that they are that much older. I could just bottle their youth and keep them young forever and keep them in my care forever.

I DO need to post more pictures but my camera has been acting up but hopefully Santa surprises me with a new one **hint hint**

I'm seriously craving anything that tastes like grapes. Pickles smothered in grape jelly...............mmmmmmmm oh shucks I just finished the grape jelly WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?? I drank all my grape water, I ate all my grape jelly beans and I have no more grape jelly however I do have pickles. It's so weird I get more cravings in my first trimesters than I do throughout the rest of my pregnancy. And as for pickles with Emily I loved pickles and with Carter I loved pickles with chocolate cake and icing, yes mixed together, but with Cohen I barely ate pickles.

Well I just heard the car door which means Justin is home and I gotta finish watching my movie.
...Toodles

November Long

Mediocre busy around the Seitz home this weekend. It all started off with a baaaaaaaaad hairdo. I swear BC hairdressers SUCK!!!!!!!! I had a perfect picture of how I wanted my hair done and the woman did not bad but missed some spots so when I went back to get it touched up a different girl took it upon herself to screw my hair up even more. ugh. I can't go back now or I'll have no more hair left. At least I can mask the mess by flipping it up. More reasons why we need to move back to Saskatoon. I need my hairdresser back :0(

We went out for an awesome meal at our friends place Saturday night. She made a roast chicken with fresh herbs and the works with apple and pear crisps for dessert. mmmm my mouth is still watering. It was such a nice treat to be cooked for. It was a great night and it was going really good for the kids when all of a sudden Emily comes out of a bedroom, hair in front of her face, crying yet breath taken. She fell off the top bunk onto a big fish aquarium and hurt the side of her ribs. She has a nasty gash and she's pretty sore but thank GOD it didn't do more damage to her. We're just thankful she didn't hit her head. She'll be sore for awhile but she's a trooper and she'll be aok.

Last night was a big moment in Mr. Carter's lil life. He has been dealing with his first "loose tooth". Scarey for the little man. He was so worried about losing a part of his body and he was crying all week and did not want to lose this tooth. Until last night it was soooooooo loose and he got the courage to try and pull it himself and it came right out. He went from being scared to proud at the snap of a finger. Lucky man the tooth fairy came and he is so happy he is a little more grown up today. Now he keeps asking when his adult tooth is going to come in and if it means he's going to be big like his dad now.

Well I think I've spent enough time on the computer for the moment. Justin is upstairs managing the boys and that's an intersting task for one person. Cohen is probably trying to stick more of our belongings down the vent :0) So till next time........ toodles..........

6th Week

We went for our ultrasound yesterday and everything is looking great. I feel a little less nervous but not completely at ease yet. I know I shouldn't worry and I should just enjoy the moment and be happy everything is going good but I'm so scared of the "what if's" just because we've had such problems in the past. Other than that I've been feeling rather well. Tired of course but Cohen has me running around all day so that explains that, and a little nausea here and there but nothing crazy. The only thing that's been happening nonstop is heartburn and indigestion oh goodness I drink water and I've got heartburn. But I can live with that if that's the only trouble I get. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and help us get through this first trimester trouble free. Thank you for your well wishes, prayers and support. It means a lot to us!!!

Only Treats this Halloween

On October 28th our dearest friends Kristin and Eric welcomed their first lil baby Harrison Gunnar Amundson. He's such a cute baby.

Justin's book contract is almost complete well actually it is finally complete he is just going to sign it and start writing and he needs to have it finished by June which is perfect timing because we have BABY #4 COMING LATE JUNE BEGINNING OF JULY!!!! Yeah that's right, the Seitz's have done it again *swoooooot*. We are so excited. We're praying for a great pregnancy. Last one was just too scarey so if you could all pray with us we'd love that and appreciate it so much. God's good!!

Here are some Halloween photo's from last night. The kids had a blast of course of course and so did I when I saw how much candy I can sneak into at night. Ok ok maybe I will keep my paws out of their treat bags this year. But if Emily's candy is still around at Easter I'm eating it.

Daddy with his Halloweeners Vampire, B1(banana's in pajama's) and Hannah Montanna

The Seitz home is FULL of surprises.....
Stay tuned *wink*

Battling the Good Stuff

So just as Justin has been picked up by one publishing company, another company came in with a very positive agressive swoop and is wanting his book. Wow what a compliment...two publishing companies playing tug o war with my JMan. Such an honor and a blessing and a happy push in the right direction. Other authors have advised Justin that writing a book can be tough and at times you'll feel like giving up but the end is so rewarding to be honest the beginning is just as rewarding and the drive and motivation Justin has right now due to the excitement everyone has is amazing. A huge thank you goes out to my dad, When we were visiting my parents this summer Justin had told my dad of his idea and my dad was very supportive and gung ho and said why not...just go for it and see what happens and good thing he listened. Good thing!

Oooooooooh I'm so so proud of my husband. The book deal is a go and it's about 90% finalized the 10% left is contracts and paperwork. The publishing company is so excited to work with Justin on his book and they just had really positive feedback for him.

When we first moved out here Justin worked for his brother in a tar pit and it totally felt like hell, I mean tech guy working in tar sounds hellish to me too however the lesson he learned was how much he appreciated life and his family and his career in the tech industry and to not take one day for granted. Ever since we've been distanced from the drama and nonsense and focused on the good and promising, life has completely turned around and it's been an amazing experience. Every second we've endured out here has been worth it and we've been able to do it all as a family.

We'll keep everyone posted as the book moves along, Please pray for continual motivation (as writing a book can take time) and thank you for walking along this journey with us as friends and family.

The leaves are changing color, the weather is much cooler and it rains every once in awhile. I love fall!!
I'm fully recovered from my surgery. I feel awesome except during ovulation it looks like that trouble will never go away and the doc said the only cure is another baby (short term cure). Oh how that would be so nice -- who knows what the future will bring ;0)
Our Thanksgiving weekend was so nice. It started off with a date, Justin and I hadn't been on a date in 10mths. Cohen just needed to be fed so much that it wasn't possible but now that he's on a great schedule we're able to go out ALONE!!!!!!! We had our dear friends Kristin and Eric over for dinner, I cooked a ham and leftovers made a nice warm soup Mmmm. Then Monday we had a turkey dinner with our senior friends in Penticton, Beverly and Emery. It was great until Cohen got bit in the face by their dog. Not the dogs fault, even though I would like to think so but he is a good dog. Cohen tripped over his bum and got nipped right under the eye, starting at the bottom of his lower eyelid. Luckily it didn't break the skin, he had a nasty bruise and swelling but it's already looking way better, you can't even tell he was bit, looks more like a fall. Thank God it wasn't worse.
Now Papa is down, he arrived at our place this morning and it's been so joyful around here. I love when he visits because he's so involved with the children and he plays right down to their level and doesn't stop until they go to bed. So tomorrow night we're having a family dinner with Justin's aunt and husband and papa. I love cooking for people so tomorrow I'm making a rice pilaf, greek salad and Chicken stuffed with feta and marinaded in a verde sauce. mmmmm and Chocolate brownies for dessert. Ohh so hungry already.
We have some great news to share....Justin had an idea for a Technical book so he wrote a 17 page proposal and gave it to his agent who has then been sending it off to publishers. We had some feedback on Friday first from Justin's publisher with good news that his book idea is liked a lot and the publishers think Justin would be a perfect fit for their company. Then he was contact by an editor from the company with the same news and that they would like to have a more formal phone meeting with him on Monday. First stage, and it's so exciting. We're not too sure what's going to come of this quite yet but just the thought of someone liking Justin's idea is appreciated so hopefully the news just keeps getting better. We're trying to wait for Monday very patiently but it's hard. This is where the "Univeral Remote" would come in hand.
As soon as Cohen's bruises are gone we're going to do some family fall photo's. I'm so excited to take some pictures of the kids in the leaves....so stay tuned.

Happy Thanksgiving EVERYONE!!

October

I'm so happy October has arrived. I love fall. It is my favorite season, the chill, the colors, the leaves on the ground and Thanksgiving. We have my father in law visiting this month and his sister Aunt Shirley and her husband have moved to Penticton so we will be able to have some nice much needed family time with my in laws. It's always fun when Papa comes and the kids just can't wait....me either. He's so playful and loving and overall a very special man, always thinking with his heart. We are also awaiting a new baby in the family, our dearest friends Kristin and Eric are due at the end of the month. I'm so excited. We're finally going to be mommy's together!!! Cohen is going to have a lil playmate close in age and there is going to be another baby around how sweet is that.

Life around here is starting to settle a little. I"m starting to get back in my groove. I'm still sore but it's getting better. I start really cramping up when I am doing to much or walking to much but on the flip side it feels soooo good to be doing things again and getting out for some fresh air. Yesterday we went for a drive around the village, there was a baby bear walking around. We were too late, didn't see it but it was still exciting. We've had amazing help and support from our fellow villagers. We've had meals, and pick ups and drop offs for the kids, some babysitting, housecleaning. I've never seen a more caring village where people just stop in the middle of whatever they are doing (even driving ;) to see how we're doing and how I'm feeling. It's amazing. I love the warmth and friendship in this town. It's been a very positive experience for our family, this move was one of the best moves ever.

Cohen is demanding some attention, he's snacking on the wooden table, so he must need food, real food ;)
Till next time
Thank you!!

*A Sigh of Relief*

Last night Justin put Cohen to bed at 8:20 and he was asleep by 8:46 and today I put him down for his nap at 11:47am and at 11:49 he was sleeping *SMILES*

It feels so good to have Cohen back on a schedule and now this time is actually going to be me time. We've realized how important it is for children to have "family" time and "alone" time. We always always do everything as a family, we're never a part but what we're trying to do is Cohen has his time with me in the morning, when Carter gets home from school he has Mommy time while Cohen sleeps and when the boys go to bed early at night we've been keeping Emily up to have Mommy and Daddy time and Justin spends time with the boys separately by doing little sports games for Carter or trips to the store to help. It's making a world of a difference, the children are handling my recovery time a lot better.

And to think none of this was drastic changes all simple......except maybe with the endless crying but in the end I can now say IT WAS ALL WORTH IT :)

..........and shorter yet!!!!

Thank you for bearing with me during this adventure in parenting Justin and I are facing. It's nice to have a venting system.

So my last quick post was Cohen's first nap, reason I say first is he woke up 40 minutes later, so tired he could barely hold his head up. I thought I better nurse him again since it was lunch time and he was falling back asleep so I placed him back in his crib at 12:47 and he cried until 12:57 and then he was FAAAAAASSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTT asleeeeeeeeeep. HE SLEPT UNTIL 2:30pm. I was so happy. So hopefully tonight goes alright. I'm nervous and sleep deprived but trying to remain positive. I didn't think we'd be able to go through with this but we did and I'm shocked and overwhelmed and I'm left with the worry of "is this going to affect him"...?

.....and it gets shorter and shorter

So I thought I better keep up with the ferberizing today, 1) I'm too tired and sore to run after Cohen all day and 2) I can't stop now. So when it was nap time I nursed him and he fell asleep, as soon as I placed him in his crib.....he woke up. So I gave him a hug and an I love you and his blankie and I quietly left the room as he was howling at the top of his lungs. However the good news instead of taking an hour and a half like last night, he only cried for half an hour. So I think we're making progress... Whoppee!!

Crappy n' Cranky

So after Cohen finally went to sleep at 3:50 I was so wound on frosted flakes that I couldn't sleep and Carter was having issues so I got back to bed at about 5am and Justin's alarm went off and I was sleeping by about 5:30ish to only be woken up once again by Mr. Carter at 6am. When I finally got him back in bed he decided to throw a fit and Cohen woke up.

I just can't win. When I let Cohen cry it out more I went in his room to check on him and he had a poopy so screw it we stayed awake and got ready for school.

When is nap time?? :0((

3:50am HE DID IT, HE'S SLEEPING, ALONE IN HIS CRIB!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it...this is great. He has the heartbreaking baby sobs :0( but he did it.

I shouldn't have had two bowls of frosted flakes because now I'm wide awake and so far from being tired it's not even funny ha.

losin' my ever lovin' mind

It's 3:30am and I'm awake listening to Cohen scream. It all started with Carter getting up at 2am thinking it was time to get up and that sleeping sucks and he was mad that he had to stay in bed now it's the baby's turn. Up until tonight I have been getting up with him and feeding him back to sleep usually resulting in falling asleep with him (bad habit to get into). Cohen used to be so good at night. We would place him in his crib, wind his mobile and he would put himself to sleep up until he was 6mths old then he could stand in his crib and one day snapped it in half. So tonight was my breaking point. I'm sore, tired, grumpy, emotional and the boys just wouldn't cooperate, I finally got Carter settled but the baby is learning how to put himself to sleep. IT'S SOOOOOOOOOOOO HARD. I'm seriously ready to jump off my balcony (ok maybe that's not such a good idea but ugh seriously)!! Can't I have a break already. Aside from me needing my big break so does my husband, the poor guy has to be up in an hour and a half for work. So I put my stubborness aside and shut his door (I have no idea how he sleeps through this but thank God he does). Hopefully he won't be a total disaster tomorrow. At least if I'm a total disaster tomorrow I can laze around which is exactly what I've been doing anyways.
3:36am - the cries are getting weaker.........oh maybe not.
The hardest part is going in his room every 10-15mins to let him know I love him and that I haven't totally neglected him but I almost think it's harder on him having me in there time and time again.
3:40am - getting ready to cave ........ not gonna do it ugh maybe I should....nope we've gotten this far it would all be a waste if I stopped now dammit
3:41am - I'm going to lose myself in text twist for awhile...
WISH ME LUCK!!

the little lights in my life

Nothing makes me giggle more than the words that come from my little kids mouths. Cohen, Emily, Carter and my nephew Dante are doing all they can to make me feel better and it's sure working. Although it hurts to laugh it's hurting less and less everyday (that and I was prescribed new meds but they don't need to know that *wink*)

So Cohen he does nothing but run around all day trying to get into whatever he possibly can. It's hillarious. Just this morning Justin was changing his diaper and he got away from him stopped looked right at his daddy and peed on the floor then smiled and ran away.

Carter and his stories are something else indeed. Sometimes it's hard to know what's real with that boy. Maybe he'll come out with a bestseller one day. He has this little mini PDA he got from his Auntie and he asked to have some phone numbers in it so I put Mommy's number and Daddy's work number and he then asked for Uncle Eric's number and I said ok and he acted all suspicious and said "well you know mom in case of an emergency I gotta call my dawg" so last night he did just that except there was no emergency he just wanted Eric's number to call him whenever. Thank you Kristin and Eric for being so patient when he calls and remember this is only the beginning I won't blame you if you need to block our number eventually haha.

Emily....oh boy, she's getting prettier and prettier and the boys know it. She came home yesterday and told me that there is this boy in her class head over heels in love with her. He offers to do everything for her and he told her that he will try anything to get her to be his girlfriend. She says but we're only in grade 4 we have lots of time for boyfriends and girlfriends yet I don't want to be your girlfriend. And he said well Emily I'm not quitting until your mine. Grade 4 oh goodness oh gollie this is just the beginning.

My nephew Dante.........one word to sum him up is sweetheart. He's so funny and so thoughtful and I miss him like crazy. He just learned how to call our number and he has been calling us up to 10 times a day. He likes to play webkinz over the computer with Em and Carter so he calls to organize the play except yesterday. It all started in the morning he called bright and early (he doesn't understand the time difference) and he informed us that he was grounded from webkinz for the day because he pushed his lil bro so he called just to talk. Then he called afterschool a few times but I was waiting for the doctor to call and forgot to call him back so he called again and says Auntie Carissa I've been waiting all day to talk to you....so I sat down and talked to him and we had a great talk and he said "if you're good at my school in grade one you get a gummie worm ... do you like those".. I said I love them...so he said..."well I will be extra good so I can maybe have two and then I will send one to you in the mail" My heart just melted then he thought it wouldn't be fair if he didn't send one for everyone so he's going to tell the teacher he'll be super good if she gives him 4 gummies haha I wonder what she'll say to that!!

Thanks for my babble Justin is home after taking the kids to school so I better pass the computer off to him so he can get some work done.....till next time

This n' That

As I lay here I can't stop thinking about how much I want to get back to my normal life. Being layed up really sucks when I'm so active and involved with my kids. I feel like I'm missing out on everything. However I'm so happy my husband is the one filling in for me. He has really really stepped up and is doing a magnificent job being Mr. Mom. He's managing to get his work done for Itiva, cook, clean, do laundry, feed the kids, pack their lunches, get them ready for school all while running after Cohen making sure he's not zapping himself in a new found plug in, fielding phone calls, and making me more comfortable. I'm still in a lot of pain, my left side is cramping and throbbing and my meds just aren't keeping up so I'm sitting here waiting for my doctor to call and hopefully he can prescribe something a little more manageable. I want nothing more than to get up and move around more but walking to the bathroom is enough for now, this time I'm trying hard not to push it because the last thing I want to do is tear something and end up back in the hospital and my husband doesn't need to miss anymore work than he needs to. Times like this I wish my parents were around to relieve some of the stuff Justin has on his plate. We're just thankful he works for such a good company that's understanding of our situation. When I get the go head to start picking up Cohen and resuming acitivity will be a very good day until then I gotta find ways to stay relaxed in bed. So I'm reading a really good book, I just finished the first book "Even Now" by Karen Kingsbury and I'm on the second book "Ever After" and Justin found me this awesome magazine called "Real Simple Family" Its fabulous. It all down-to-earth realistic parenting tips, meal planning for kids and just simple topics mom's have on their minds day to day. Anyways I best be getting back to my book.

The Doc prescribes

the pills!

My husband prescribes the chocolate!!

Surgery

For those of you that didn't know I used to have a lot of problems with my ovaries. Almost two years ago I had my left ovary removed. Two months later I got pregnant with Cohen so my cycles had only been normal after the surgery for a couple months and they were sore and tender but once I got pregnant I obviously didn't have to worry about ovulating anymore. Funny thing was I was still having pain on my left side throughout my pregnancy. 4 months ago my cycles started back up and the pain was getting worse with each cycle lasting anywhere from 5-12 days. I booked an appt. to see my specialist and also had an ultrasound booked but not for a few weeks yet. Thursday the pain was back, and it wasn't getting any better by Friday morning so I decided it was best to go in instead of laying around the house feeling too rotten to move. So I had some tests done and things were coming back fine but the pain was getting worse so they scheduled an ultrasound, more pain meds and called my gyno to come down. From my history he was concerned and though doing an exploratory lap would be the best route to take, he gave me all my options and possibilities to consign to. The result. Two years ago the doctor that was supposed to remove my entire ovary, left a chunk inside (not good) the fallopian tube left behind was damaged and there was a lot of scar tissue and a cyst on my right ovary. So the doctor was able to clean everything out and remove the leftover ovary and remove the tube and tissue and sewed me up and now I"m on the road to recovery. I think it will be ok and I look forward to having less painful cycles in the future. I've got good pain meds and good help and now I'm going to get some good rest!! Thank you to everyone for your concerns and thoughts and prayers. :0) We'll keep you guys updated!!

Kindergarten Kid

Carter is officially a Kindergartener. His first day was yesterday and he absolutely loved it. I cried, I tried not to but I just couldn't hold back the tears. We all went as a family, Justin and I, Emmy, Auntie Shannon, Uncle Dallas and baby Cohen. Carter was so happy to be with his friends again. He just loves Maria and his buddies Hank, Henry, Blaize and Bryce. His teacher is wonderful. She's perfect. She's so in tune with the kids and young and vibrant and cheery and playful and structured and organized and just a very nice person. He has a great group of a kids in his class and it's going to be an awesome year for him. He loves being able to participate in school activities and routines just like Emily. Packing a snack, having recess, gym, and library time are all perks for him. He wants homework soooooo bad so the teacher assigned him to come up with a list of his favorite websites. I'll have to take a picture of him tomorrow with his new haircut. I wasn't able to make it into town today so I decided to try and cut it myself and it looks "sweet" as he puts it!!

Family

It feels good to have family around. The great thing about family is that you can start off just where you left off and it feels so natural and as if no time was lost. We're having a fun time with Justin's brother and sister. Justin's brother is a doctor and it was so funny last night. Carter has been sick and to help him breath better at night Justin would take him for a drive with the windows rolled down to let the cold air clear up his airways. So last night Carter was coughing, and coughing good but after we gave him some medicine the coughs became a little forced and he was trying to go for another car ride. So I told him that Uncle Dallas is a doctor and the he knows when kids are real sick and when they are faking it. So today we're sitting at the dinner table and Carter very seriously says, if you're a doctor can you fix my toe haha oh boy we all broke out laughing.

On a side note we had the boys to see the pediatrician today. The trouble with Cohen's growth seems to be no trouble at all. Just as we suspected he's following in his father's footsteps. He might be a little low in iron but that is an easy fix. Carter is doing good he might be dealing with some asthma issue's/ reflux issues brought on when he gets a cold. Nothing we haven't heard before and good news as it's something we can manage also. As for Emily's excitement, she was feeling better today (she's been sick) and there was a bat at school. She got a close up and we're all headed to the school right now to have our own peek at it.

Ciao

Justin's brother Dallas and sister Shannon have officially arrived safe and sound!! Time for some yummy KFC...

The up in up

I've been thinking a lot about the events going on in our family here and back home and I am left feeling shocked and relieved and blessed. So much has been going on with people we love and it's been just overwhelming but Thank GOD the outcome has been great. So my Aunt is out of the hospital YAY. She got out last week. She is still suffering from the westnile meningitis and it will take awhile before she feels 100% but she's home, with her family and starting to improve.

My brother was involved in a head on collision Friday afternoon. Thank goodness he wasn't hurt. His car is completely totalled but because he wasn't at fault he should see something good from his insurance. We are all so grateful that he walked away with whiplash, he is in pain but no scrapes or bruises and no fatalities.

Friday night we enjoyed a lovely dinner with some friends in Penticton, Jackie made a yummy tortellin alfredo and I made a rolo cheesecake. We ate so much we all had food coma's afterwards. When we got home we were ready for a nice, peaceful sleep after a long week only that didn't happen. Carter woke up at 3am with a barky cough and his breathing was very laboured it was scarey. He hadn't had an episode like that since we lived in Saskatoon. So off to the ER he went and the doctor gave him pulmicort in a nebulizzor and it seemed to settle it down a little. But again Thank God he's alright. We've all got a little bug of somesort but that's minor, we're alive and happy.

Saturday I was able to have some mommy time out for my friends baby shower. It was such a fun time. We played cute shower games and ate yummy yummy food. We all made a freezer friendly dish so when baby comes she doesn't have to worry and we each had to bring a charm to put on a bracelet so when she's in the hospital she can have a piece of everyone with her without having us all crowd the labour and delivery room. The closest charm I found to symbolize something in our friendship was a feather. She used to clean my home while I was on bedrest and we would visit and visit as she cleaned and we just became really good friends. Then I went home and we were supposed to attend our block bbq but because Carter was sick we didn't feel it was fair for some to go and some to stay back, so we hung tight as a family and played the Wii and watched a movie. Today we were still feeling yucky so we stayed quiet however Justin busted his buns outside in the yard.

This week will be fun. We have a lot of excitement storing up for the week ahead. Justin's brother Dallas and sister Shannon are coming tomorrow and they are here for a week. We haven't seen Dallas since our wedding and Shannon was here a year ago so the kids are very excited. Justin took the week off of work and I took the time off babysitting and we are going to have a great family bonding time with his brother and sister.

Oh and tomorrow Carter has his Kindergarten interview. Then he either starts Tuesday or Wednesday, I'm so happy Justin will be here to help take him for his first day. We were thinking back to the day we walked Emily to her first day of KIndergarten and how I cried and cried and didn't want to leave her. I'm not one of those mom's that looks forward to sending their kid off to school. I would homeschool but I don't think I have the smarts for it and I figure I better leave it to the professionals.

There is a lot to look forward to this week. A good positive week!! I'm going to fold my laundry and watch Fracture now that the children are all fast asleep, I should also be sleeping but I wanto to be ahead tomorrow so I can rest when Cohen sleeps. Nighty night!

Is School Cool?

My daughter thinks so..

Here she is on her first day back..... GRADE 4. I'm totally having separation anxiety, she was begging and begging to eat lunch at school and I wanted her to come home and have lunch with me but then i realized I gotta stop being such a needy geeky mom and let her have some breathing room and yeah she ate lunch at school today. Carter starts next week, stay tuned for a therepeutic blogging session :0))

Oh Mr. Sandman

.....bring me some sleep!! Justin and I daydream of sleep. Our weekend was wonderfully filled with a lot of quality family time and the only thing it was missing was sleep. Our little Cohen has been teething for days. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday night all nights with a maximum of 2 hours of consecutive sleep, Cohen would awaken at 4am and be up for the day. 4 our of those nights were accompanied with a fever. Yesterday Cohen cut his 4th tooth, 2nd one on the top, and by the looks of it out teething sleepless nights are far from over. This poor little guy has two more coming in at the bottom and two more at the top. As hard as it is on Justin and I, I feel so bad for Cohen and his little mouth. As parents we have prescribed Cohen, Orajel, Motrin, icecream cones, cuddles, lullaby's and lots and lots of love. Emily and Carter each had some Daddy time and Mommy time so they will be happy so maybe this afternoon I can sneak a nap :)

Another Long Weekend

Oh I love the long weekends. Today started off a great day, I mean everyday is great but this morning Cohen had me up at 4 and we snuggled in bed and then got up at 5 with Justin. Normally I'm soooooooo tired and a little cranky *wink* but Justin poured me a warm cup o' java and I layed in bed and visited him while he got ready and I feel great and energetic ready to start my day. And it's a Friday, I get my husband home 3 days in a row YAY! The kids are so excited to have a fun filled family weekend. With school approaching next week we're doing nothing this weekend but having fun fun fun. Games, beach, a little shopping and a BBQ etc...

Here's a little update on my gang:

Emmy is so ready for school. She misses her friends. I'm going to miss her so much. She has been my partner all summer helping me with EVERYTHING and without being asked. She's just so thoughtful and she sees that we're always doing something so she says she wants to do stuff to help so we have more playtime and it's worked we have a lot more playtime. She is growing up so fast however she's still so little. She loves to go off by herself and play barbies or dolls and then other times she's writing her own songs and singing and dancing. Her poetry is that you'd find in a teens notebook, her writing skills are amazing. Justin is writing a book and loves to write.........wonder where she gets it from ;0)

Carter my little secret agent. He doesn't start school this week. I"m so happy I get an extra week with him before Kindergarten. I miss my kids so much when they go off to school I could really keep them home forever. Carter has been attatched to my hip everyday for the past 5 years it's going to be hard to have him go off and do his own thing. I know he'll be great at it though. He loves to learn and learn and learn. I do think he will be disappointed in Kindergarten as he's wanting to learn how to program software. Yesterday I had to give him a time out and while he was in his room he decided to make me a present, he took a pipe cleaner and little animal shaped foamies and made me an animal flower. He came out and apologized and handed me this beautiful flower and my heart just melted.

Cohen, oh little Cohen. He's such a daredevil. As you see him standing beside this gate that he recently surfed on down to stairs with. His second trip downt he stairs. He is trying to figure out how to do it again. A 12 mths old that thinks this is the funnest thing in the world. Or in the bathtub the little stinker stands up and I try to sit him back down, he'll have none of it. He slides down the curved side of the tub and gets his face all wet and falls in the water and he gets right back up for more. I wrote about the worry in his weight gain and I'm not worried anymore. I figure it was due to his lack of appetite when teething and what not. He's been teething forever and he finally cut on and another one is breaking through right now and it looks like he's getting two on the bottom. He's a tough teether as the older two were and his body is under stress. Lately he has been trying to eat more. Loves soup and crackers. We went to A&W and he loved the teen burger and fries and he is feeling a lot heavier. I'm still going to take him to the pediatrician as planned but I think she'll say he's just a normal boy.

As for Justin and I we're doing great. Justin has been working on his projects and his book proposal is going around to publishers so we're excited about that. I'm so proud of him, he's been wanting to write a tech book for so long and when we were visiting with my parents in Waskesiu my dad was talking to him about it and totally motivated Justin so as soon as we got home he wrote his 17 page proposal and his agent loved it. We've been having a ton of fun this summer. As a couple our marriage is at a great stage of just really understanding eachother and having fun together. He is taking another week of holidays when his brother and sister come out the week after this and I'm really looking forward to having him home yet again :) I could keep him home everyday but I guess he does have to work, but I'm lucky because he has been given two days a week to work remotely and home on weekends so we've been pretty happy and appreciative of that. This weekend is my 10 yr highschool reunion. Part of me wants to go back for it but facebook has really satisfied me in catching up with people for now. It's been a great little system. I've made contact with so many old schoolmates. I also had a prayer request on here for my aunt and she is still in the hospital in Saskatoon and I just want to thank everyone for their prayers. She is at a great place, the doctors are treating her with so much care and attention and they are on her like glue and doing the best to help her. Well Cohen zonked out in his swing as I was typing away so I am going to take advantage of being up early and tend to my morning chores and get a head a little. I hope you all have a wonderful and fun safe weekend.

Say What??

Cohen backtalked me for the first time and it was so funny. We went to the park and I put him back in his stroller and the little man looked right at me and squirmed and said NO! Then I proceeded to buckle him up and he said NONONO!! Too cute....now

+ A Prayer Request +

If you could keep my Auntie MaryJo in your prayers. She has the West Nile Virus and she was in the hospital recently and then was discharged in hopes that she had a mild case and that she was doing alright. She is getting worse and she went back into the hospital this today. They are going to run some other tests and do whatever they can to help her. She has a husband and three children and they run a farm and they need all the help and prayers you can give. The Lord is good and I know she will pull through with His almighty healing.

Thank you!!

OOPS

We burned Emily a CD with all her favorite songs one being "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne. I've listened to the radio version only ever and saw her perform it on Teen Choice but I guess I never paid too close attention to the lyrics there is the "F" word loud and clear in the downloaded version. What I never heard the word before until Emily has it blasting in the living room and Carter sings out "lalalala F'in girlfriend". Stop the record...Carter what did you just say, and he repeats ahhhhhhh. So I download the radio version and listen very closely and sure enough it's bleeps out but yeesh why didn't I hear that every other time I listened to the song. That's all I need is them singing that out in the grocery store or church for that matter. Uhh let's just say that song will be skipped from now on ;0))

C'est Ma Vie

I still can't believe Cohen is 1. Where did the year go. It was such a fantastic year and I just want it to stay that way...so it will. Other than my sore foot life is wonderful. I have great friends and great family and a great husband and great children and I'm going to continue enjoying them. I have a feeling it is going to be a very exciting year. With my kids passing new milestones my anxiety was a little worked up but with the help once again from my husband I've been able to calm down and embrace these moments that have passed and the ones we are yet to face. Cohen is going for tests in September and I was really worried at first when I heard he went from the 70th percentile down to the 17th percentile and classified as failure to thrive. Scarey words for a mom. But if you look at this baby he's happy and active and goes nonstop and he's been walking for a few months and learning new things everyday so I'm not too concerned. Then there is this whole school thing, my daughter is so excited and hey I should be excited for her. The kids LOVES school, how many kids love school (I sure didn't) so I need to remain positive and hope that she continues to love it. Carter was sooooooooooo worried, how could he not be, he inherited my anxiousness, so I've mellowed it and helped him prepare for Kindergarten and he's soooo excited. I know I'll still cry his first day but I will wait until I am out of the school and on my way home ;0) Then there's my husband. He's SO busy with tons of projects on the go yet he still has time to play and help and not let his work consume him. I'm so proud of him and I'm so thankful that I don't have to ask him for anything. Like lately being on my feet too long or walking around too much hurts, he'll all of a sudden have the dinner dishes done or my laundry folded or the toys picked up in the living room and still play and visit and just let me put my feet up and rest and come surprise me with my favorite penny candies. This week is pretty low key which is nice. Tonight Emily is having a sleepover with her friend Chloe and they are being so good. They are quietly watching a movie and she just came upstairs to tell me it's almost over and then they are going to turn the lights out...nice. Carter went to bed so good because his little friend is coming over tomorrow to play. Cohen finally cut his top tooth YAY, maybe his appetite will increase and maybe he'll sleep a little better. I finally went for xrays on my foot so hopefully I hear back on what it is...I don't really care but whatever it is whether a sprain or break it has hurt like a bitch so I thought I would treat myself and go for a wonderful afternoon out to the dentist office and fix my sinking filling haha. Oh well at least it's getting taken care of. Justin might actually get a treat and play some vball with the neighbour. He's done so much around here he needs some fun time and that's a perfect stress reliever. Well Cohen is sleeping sweetly and that's my Q to do the same......Nighty night blogger world

Cohen's ONE!!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Here are some photo's of Cohen's 1st year in chronological order starting with his 1st week.

Kindof a Booger Boo Day

Bleh sums up today. You know how you wake up in the morning all happy and looking forward to the day and then someone it all goes to poop and you're left shocked by nighttime saying WTF?? That's how I feel. For the past three months my week during ovulation has been horrid. I've had such pain and it's worrysome for me as I'm tired of being in pain and I'm down to one ovary I can't lose another :( So I was supposed to see my doctor today to discuss the pain and also for Cohen to have his 1 year checkup. I decided to go do a little shopping and cross somethings off my list of to do's so I got ready and off the kids and I went. When we got to Walmart I was so sore I thought yeesh kids we're going to do this quick so I can get home. I hate being a cranky sore mommy and the last thing I want to do is push it. So we went to the toy aisle to get Cohen's birthday present and it was on the highest shelf. No walmart worker around so I decided to get the big walker/car box off the shelf and let's just say it was an absolute disaster which resulted in a possible broken toe. So not only does my stomach hurt but now I can't walk. So we leave walmart, barely make it home and I got my husband to take us to the doctor (luckily he was working remotely today) so the doc says alright you need an xray but they close at 3 and it was 3:30 so he prescribed some wonderful pain meds. I know there isn't much the doc can do for a broken toe but damn it fricking hurts. I need my feet and my body to be in working condition so I can run after my kids. I'm a broken mommy and ugh it just sucks.

Another bit of suckiness is Cohen's checkup. It's tough being a parent when things aren't going well for a child. As a parents we are programmed needing to FIX EVERYTHING and when we can't it's devastating and stressful. So we thought Cohen was doing great, I mean he looks well, he's active he's happy. He doesn't have a very good appetite when it comes to solids and he hasn't been sleeping but we thought maybe it's his teeth (which still haven't cut through). 3mths ago Cohen was sick and had lost a little bit of weight which is to be expected he was weighed in at 9.1kgs and his height was in the 70th percentile. Well he's gone from being in the 70th percentile to the 17th percentile. He hasn't grown in height and his weight only changed from 9.1kgs to 9.3kgs. So hopefully this isn't anything major I pray that it isn't anything but a simple oopsy in his diet. He has to see a pediatrician and have some bloodwork done and I'm in a state of panic. I know things are probably alright but it's the possibility and waiting it out.

For the rest of my crew, Carter got bonked by a shopping cart and skinned his knee (thank goodness for ratatouille bandaids) and Emily got sick from her McDonald's lunch (no more) and Justin awww my dear husband who has held up our fort yet again. He had to tend to everything at home while trying to get his work finished. My dresser drawer got stuck and when I got it shut my snow globe fell off and shattered all over the floor. Plus his mom isn't doing well. The stress keeps piling on. My MIL who has dementia has been getting really angry with us lately for no reason or "made-up" reasons and it's stressful because there is nothing we can do with that either. It is 11:51PM and there is 9 minutes left in this day THANK GOD IT IS ALMOST OVER!!! In times like these I sit and question God. What? Why? You've got to be kidding me?? And it hits me now that these burdens need to be lifted up to the only ONE who can make a difference. I need to curl up and pray and just pray myself to sleep.... "Night"

Eeee motions

Lately my emotions are just all over the place. I think I'm coming down from the high of vacationing. A homesickness hangover. I've been thinking so much about family lately and it's just making me ache inside. I have been going through all our photo's the ones taken before my husband broke the camera by accident haha it was kind of funny and thank goodness my sisters camera was near by to take over. I'm sad, I'm sad how fast time is zooming by and I'm mad about that and bummed. Get this, baby Cohen is going to be ONE in 13 flipping days. Emily is starting grade 4, Carter in Kindergarten everybody is aging and I'm nearing 30. Ok so maybe I won't be 30 for a few years yet but still....



Counting to 10



Taking a deep breath



AHhhhhh thinking positive now



I'm going to post a link and please enjoy the photo's as much as I do
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/messages/viewshow/4777124383-1186813466-77192/parm/page/



I miss you and love you all xo

TOUT FINIS!!!!!

In English,
I'M DONE VACATIONING.

We have officially decided as a family to never do it again ugh... To be honest I'm not even sure if we can call it a vacation it was more a drivathon. Alberta and Saskatchewan were alright but we are going to choose not to be eaten alive by mosquito's next time...and really we drive hours and hours and hours to be around grouchy people, wicked flies and horrid mosquitos and straight boring roads haha. We ended up making a quick trip to Saskatoon and when we got there we were so sad that once again we had no time to really visit. There are so many people we want to see and catch up with and a day and a half just doesn't allow that to happen. I'm sorry to those that wanted to get together and I couldn't boooo booo :0(((

However there were a lot of positive things about the trip. One of the hardest was leaving my father in law, he's such a dear and sweet man and just adore my children and he always buys chocolate ;0) Leaving my grandparents was also pretty tough for me, one of the hardest things I have to do each time I leave. I've always been so attached to my grandparents and seeing them age is so hard on me. I got to spend some great quality time with each of them and that I will cherish always. I really wish I could freeze time and enjoy those moments a little longer.

I'm finished thinking of all the negative things about our trip so here are ONLY the positives
I got to spend hours and hours and hours beside my husband....I loved it. I could just sit and stare at him forever!!
We had our children all to ourselves for hours and hours and hours, no friends or them running all over the place playing just us together as a family.
We camped for the first time together as a family and my children used the outhouse for the first time and now they really appreciate toilets haha.
Baby Cohen is running and running up and down hills too!!
Seeing my kids snuggle up with their grandparents.
Celebrating my Grandparents 50th Anniversary and spending time with relatives I have barely seen in years.
Enjoying some time with my other grandparents in Waskesiu.
Visiting the magic log in the wood and sharing it with my kids
Eating icecream many many times at the Big Olaf in Waskesiu
Going for a boat ride and watching my children tube hhahaha it was HILLARIOUS. They were so brave is was awesome. Emily was bouncing all over the place and she wouldn't quit.
Spending some quality time with my nephew, I'm laughing already thinking of him and his contant noise making hehe
My brother, a relationship that is forming and finally being able to share life with him and just have fun, it was great and watching him play with my kids was just fantastic.
Hunting for icecream with my sister at 10:30 and seeing her reaction when she saw my kids after so long.
My mom's cooking....MMMMMMMMMM I miss it
My dad's contant giggle hahaha....I'm so glad I inherited it!!
Taking my children to the Nature Center and helping them learn about our environment in a fun way and watching their imaginations just soar, especially the silly puppet show they put on. Carter made a great skunk.
Speaking of skunks we saw our first skunk camping with my in laws, I thought it was a duck in the bushes until it really showed itself haha
Driving in Saskatoon, we drove all over reminising
Seeing the people we saw. One of my friends was home from China and I had no idea she was still there unitl she sent me a quick note on facebook so we got in touch and saw eachother for 2 minutes literally, we parked outside her house, had a hug and a picture and then we had to book it to Turtle Lake.
We celebrated Cohen's 1st birthday a month early since we were around family and it was great. We had a weenie roast in a cook shack in Waskesiu with some yummy desserts and then we gave him a mini cheesecake my mom made and sang happy birthday. It was so cute, he sure didn't like the cheesecake or getting dirty.


One thing I really realized over our holidays was how important my family is to me and what I want to give my children in the future, how I want to be when they have kids and their kids have kids. My poor husband just felt sick after driving so many hours and we realized its just too hard on the children so from now on PEOPLE YOU COME TO US!!!!!!

We broke our camera and at first I was bummed cuz I thought OH NO I lost th epictures and then realized I have a memory card yay....so hopefully I can get them off the camera and then I will collect the photos from everyone that took pics after.

My cleaner came over and did a wonderful job on my home today and I'm all caught up on my laundry and I'm completely unpacked and my kids are in bed and I'm going to enjoy laying on my couch and watch a movie ahhhhhhhhh the small things in life are just so very enjoyable to me ;0)

Consumed by Facebook

Facebook Facebook damn facebook.
It's totally consuming me. I've totally neglected my blog. Boo, I'm sorry to my readers!!!!
I guess I can't blame it all on facebook but life has just been busy lately. I forgot how busy it is when a little baby becomes so curious and then when I'm not running after Cohen I'm trying to do activities with Em and Carter. I have also started babysitting a couple days a week. Then there is the beach. Any spare moment we have we're at the beach. We finally bought the children life jackets and boogie boards and they have magically turned into FISH!! Emily has become so daring as soon as her life jacket goes on she has no fear jumping off the dock and swimming around the buoys. Carter finally swims. He was so shy of the water and he has so much fun now that he feels safe in his life jacket. It's been fun. We bought Cohen this cute little crab he sits in the water. He was born a beach bum.

We are getting ready for our trip home. We are pretty excited. I could do without the drive but why should I complain when Justin is the one that has to drive through the mountains ahhh, I am nervous already. We are going to try something a little different and leave in the evening in hopes that the kids will sleep and me too. We have been living out here for 2 years now and I am still petrified of mountain driving. We are a little anxious leaving Justins mom behind. We have not been away from her long and it is hard to think she will be here all by herself. But we do need the break too. For those that do not know Justins mom is in a nursing home for dementia at the young age of 56. She has been sliding so fast and it has been so hard on us especially my husband who is the only child around.

Justin and I celebrated another wedding anniversary on the 10th. It was so much fun. We are at such a fun stage in our relationship. With Cohen it is still hard to leave sometimes so we make do at home and with going back to SK we wanted to wait until then to go out and have a romantic rendezvous. So we sipped on some Elephant Island wine (best wine ever) and watched Veggie Tales and then I had a snooze on the floor and then we folded some laundry and laughed and laughed and laughed at how funny our at home date night went.

So Thursday evening we leave and we should be in Marwayn AB Friday morn and we will be hanging out with my in laws there until the following Thursday then off to Turtle Lake for my grandparents 50th and then off to Waskesiu for my parents 20th anniversary of their store opening and then back home. So we will see you soon and as SOOOON as I find my camera I will link to more pictures but it has disappeared and hopefully I find it before we leave:(

Tata for now!!

Here is the link to the promised photo's.
Enjoy!!
Just copy and paste ;0)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34161&l=134de&id=559200342

I'm being kind of a booger blogger....

Sorry for neglecting the blog. I've been trying to upload photo's and I have too many I'm worried I'm going to crash the computer. Our world has been a whirlwind lately...a good whirlwind but so many changes.
Carter turned 5
Kindergarten Orientation
Emily's school beach bash
Epicure Party
Mommy group
Babysitting
Emily's Classroom awards and year end ceremony
Two wisdom extractions two different days (one today which is why I'm a little grouchy)
Emily's final day....she passed grade 3
Cohen started Walking and doing SO BIG on his own and climbing stairs...ahhhh
Justin and I are celebrating our anniversary soon...yay I'm so excited for our date out
Justin and I are also doing children's ministry this weekend together so fun. I don't think we have to do much cuz we're giving the regulars a break but still so much fun that we can do it together.
I promise to get my poop in a group and get some photo's up from Carter's birthday and everything since. It was sooooo much fun. I'm just not looking forward to sending him to kindergarten in the fall. Emily is going to try and get him as her little buddy which will be cute.
Well I'm going to go pop some T 3's now that my mouth is throbbing and hopefully sleep it off. I've been kind of sucky poopoo about my teeth lately. Oh well Justin bought me tons of icecream to make me feel better ;0)))
Nighty night

Happy Father's Day

A happy father on father's day. I'm so proud of you Justin for all the love and fun you bring our family. The kids just adore you every minute of the day and so do I. I love how this sillyness isn't just today but everyday. You're an outstanding daddy. I am so in love with this journey we've been on as parents and watching you become the father and husband that you are has been the best thing in this world. We're all so lukcy and we love you soooooo much. Thank you for us all of your heart all of the time. You truly are the best. I love I love you I love you....forever!! ....and Happy Father's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parenting ~Rocks~

This week has been so much fun. Every week is fun but the kids were in neat little moods this week for some reason.

Carter was super duper huggy. Every time I turned around he was asking for a hug, and he'd say mom I just love hugging you. Tomorrow he graduates from preschool. I'll be posting pictures afterwards.

Emily is a little lady learning about emotions and feelings. She's learned once again just how much her dad is here to protect and love her. There is this bratty boy in the neighbourhood and he's rank to all the kids around here including Emily and Justin finally put him in his place in a nice fatherly type way and Emily was so proud. She just has so much trust and faith in him and it's so wonderful to see their father/daughter relationship grow. A father's loving guidance does so much for a little girl.

Cohen is in this snuggle mood too lately. He snuggles with the floor both carpet and lino and blankets and pillows and teddy's and all of us. Tonight he was a little out of sort and he could not get comfortable. Justin did his usual cuddle and I did my usual cuddle/breastfeed but no luck and he kept going back and forth and back and forth. So we all snuggled together while I fed him and he went fast asleep...he just needed a little mommy and daddy. So sweet.

How I cherish these moments....

9 Months Already

Our baby is becoming a big boy. The kids are all getting so big :0((

Hahaha Carter just told Emily he will give her a hundred bucks if she stays inside and plays with him. Too funny. I love listening to the kids.

A quick update:

Cohen had his 9mth checkup and he's a healthy baby weighing 20lbs. He's still super picky about food so I've opted to just make my own when I make supper for everyone else and it's not too bad. I bought a super sweet cuisinart mini chopper/blender and it rocks.

Emily is still madly in love (oh boy) but in love with caution. She went to bike safety the other day and made no mistakes so she wants to start riding her bike to school. Daddy doesn't want to let her do that quite yet...we're what you call over paranoid parents. But that's a good thing...to a point!!

Carter is going to be 5...FIVE...ahhhhhh. That means KINDERGARTEN IN SEPTEMBER. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're planning a beach themed birthday party at the beach...so handy to have one down the street boy. There will be around 15 hyper boys but I don't care. He's been shafted on his previous birthdays except last years was a total hit. My sister and Justin put on a great birthday while I was on bedrest. Year before totally sucked so this year he's going to have a super rockin birthday.

Other than that life is great. Justin and I are totally geeking out on the Nintendo Wii. We got it on the weekend and to be totally honest I love it. Justin and I were playing this super fun surgical game, we were doctors and actually performed surgeries. What comes from that game is a realization I could never be a doctor and I have a higher appreciation for them.

Ta ta for now...

Cohen @ 9mths and favorite sitting position






Kids collected all our beer bottles and pop cans haha we're totally not into booze anymore as you can tell. We only got $3.50 for everything. Too funny but good slurpee's came of it

Wedding Bells

EMILY IS GETTING MARRIED......in 20 yrs
to the neighbour boy Riley Smith.

So our daughter and the neighbours boy Riley have been playing together since we've moved out here. Riley is one year older than Emily he's a sweet kid. At first it started off as a little friendship and now as Carter puts it...."it's love, they just look at eachother with love".

Riley picks Emmy up for school every morning and if he's late or unable to make it he calls ahead of time and then as soon as school is out they are inseparable. Just as of the past week Riley started calling Emily "Tootsie" and every time he rides his bike past our house he yells out "toot toot" "toot...tootsie" until she notices him then he smiles at her and rides off. So today after school they were playing truth or dare or double dare, or promises. Riley got the promise and he said "here's a promise for you Emily, I promise in 20 yrs to marry you" She was completely shocked and happy. She said "but Riley when we are in highschool you'll probably find a new girlfriend" He said "no you'll be my girlfriend and please don't ever move away because if you do I'll be sad and have to come and get you" She said "I won't move away but a lot can change in 20 yrs" hahahahaha Oh man and then she asked if they could have a sleepover WHAT?? Justin's eyes have completely bugged out at this point. Then she goes on to tell us that they were daring eachother but nothing dangerous she says only good things. So he dared her to hug him and she was all nervous so she only put one arm around him and he said...Emily both arms, I'd really like a hug. Then he dared her to hold his hand.

YIKES.....We as parents were expecting this in 20 yrs but not at age 8. It's cute but on the other hand we really need to be watching these two.

So Justin and I were thinking maybe we should invite our soon to be In-laws over for a drink and a "what the heck are your son's intentions" talk. ;)

We'll keep everyone posted as to the upcoming date (hopefully in 20yrs) I'm not even ready to start thinking about make up and mixed dances let alone wedding plans.

Boogies

So my son is into grossing people out...especially girls (not cool).
Today we were sitting down getting ready to play some family games when I notice Carter is picking his nose. I say "Carter stop picking" He says "no mom I love boogers....I really love boogers" .... I told him to go get a kleenex and he looks at me and says "but why when they taste as good as pizza." EWWWWWWWW.

For the record he is not a booger eater just a tricker well I have yet to see him actually eat a booger and I'll be so grossed out if he ever does.

Been a busy bee

Wow I'm finally sitting down. YAY!!!

Cohen has been keeping me on my toes. The little guy won't sleep but on the bright side of that is he's not cranky. See Cohen just cut his first tooth and his second one is going to cut through tonight or in the next few days. So it seems like when the tooth is right at the surface he won't sleep. But oh well at least he's not screaming right!!


So the past few weeks have been busy but a good blessed busy. First of all we had my mom and grandma out. Cohen was sick with an ear infection then what we thought was rubella but the test came back negative so it was just some weird viral infection and then cut his tooth. We had our friends from Saskatoon out for a visit, Mike Jackie and baby Julia. They left Wednesday morning. Oh what fun that was games, hardy falls, bbq's and the naramata festivities. Emily's May Pole dancing was a success. It was so adorable. The Mayday weekend was awesome. It was all centered around the children and making them feel like they are very important to the community. I just love living here. So we're taking this weekend to get caught up on housework and hopefully organize the garage and just spend some good quality family time. It is so hard when friends and family go we dip into a bit of a funk and we miss them all terribly so it will be good to just have some cuddle time fun time this weekend and think happy thoughts. And hopefully more family and friends will come out soon.


So I should give a little background on exactly what went down on Mayday. It's Naramata's centennial year so the theme was pioneer days. People dressed up just like they did 100 yrs ago. However 84 yrs ago Naramata started the village tradition of holding the may pole dance on Mayday. Sure sure some of you are wondering (but eewww isn't that a pagan celebration) it may have been once upon a time but not here in Naramata. They don't take it to that extreme. It's so cute. The little girls dress up and wear flower wreaths and the little boys wear suspenders and pioneer caps and they skip around the May Pole bowing to one another and make patterns on the pole with colorful ribbons. It's adorable. The grade 5's vote for a may queen and the rest of the grade 5 girls become the princesses so no one is left out. The Queen does a speech and then let's the festivities begin. We had a bag pipe band begin the procession and lead all the children to the center of all our attention. A little highland dancer did a number as well. They had bike decorating contests, and silver spoon races, soap box racing and much much more. Then in the evening was the Queen's Ball. The Queen and all the Princesses walk around the hall with their daddy's and do a special dance to the naramata waltz and then they had a littl ebit of folk dancing and it was topped off with a teen rock band. The kids had a blast dancing around and letting loose.


So I have some photo's of our happenings lately. They are gooders. Now I'm going to pleasantly sign off to enjoy a fine glass of wine and a bath and read Shopaholic and Baby.

Have a super-di-duper weekend!!

Better better better!!!!

Just to update everyone Cohen is 110% better. It's so nice to see him back to his normal self. It was such a scarey time for us. We've had our scares with Emmy, then Carter and now Cohen and we got through it then and we got through it now. I was just so happy today seeing all my kids running around getting into trouble and just being themselves. Life is back to normal. Cohen is cutting a tooth now but it's not giving him any grief. Thank goodness.


We have a fun weekend coming up with the Naramata May Day celebrations. It's the centennial year and the village has some pretty cool things happening. As usual it will kick off with our three float parade *snicker* (it's cute though) then we walk down to Manitou park and Emily will be participating in the Maypole dancing. She's dressing up all fancy with flowers in her hair. Carter's preschool is having a fundraising bake sale so I get to bake some thing yummy for that and try selling it (if I don't eat it first). Justin is going to attempt to get the garage all organized which I am excited for...yay we will be able to walk in it without tripping over 15 boxes. We also have some friends from Saskatoon visiting the area and they should be at our place any day. They have a little 6 mth old and it will be so cute to introduce their little baby with our baby.


Now that my caffeine high has worn off I should hit the hay. Here are a few photo's I took of Emmy and Carter on Mother's Day. Cohen was having a nice sleep finally so I was a nice mom and didn't bug him with the camera.


Nighty Night...