Something Has Been Keeping Me Busy...

Wow blogging has definitely hit the VERY bottom of my list of things to do. I have been super busy with a few projects. I am so happy with how they turned out...now I have time to share them with YOU!

First off I LOVE this site, Knock Off Wood! Really cute, easy furniture that YOU can make. My first project was a kids picnic table. Tyler and i made it together, and he taught me how to use the saw. We had a great time together building this strong, cute table for our kids. This picnic table cost less to make ($17 for the wood & screws, $19 for the paint) than it would of to buy a cheap Fisher Price plastic table that will not last nearly as long! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of us making the table or putting it together. I was so engrossed on cutting the wood, and putting it together that the camera was forgotten. But here are the AFTER pictures. I LOVE IT...and so do the kids!

I have been wanting a new patio table and furniture for a while now, but can't seem to find exactly what I am looking for. So HERE is what I will be making next. I LOVE IT! And thanks to Knock Off Wood...I have all the plans for FREE.

My little girl will turn 2 on July 1st. Where has the time gone? She is so much fun, talking so well and trying hard to keep up to her very energetic brothers! So this year we bought her a cedar playhouse from Costco. Tyler wanted to wait until July to buy it/put it together, but I didn't want to wait that long. There would be all of May & June for her to play in it, and we will be gone for half the summer. Needless to say I won the argument. LOL! So after the table was finished we moved on to putting the playhouse together...what an undertaking! Tyson even joined in and helped.

Of course I had to add my personal touch to the house and quickly ran out to buy fabric to make curtains. They turned out SO darn cute! We just have the door and outside bench to put on and then I will take some pictures to show you just how cute the house is. So stay tuned!

While tackling these projects I realized that you are never to old to try or learn something new. I'm sure most women feel that there is no way they could use a power tool to build a piece of furniture, but I learned YOU CAN! If you put your mind to something you can do ANYTHING. That is a very valuable lesson to learn, and something I hope I can teach my children. The sense of accomplishment you get when you put your mind to something and follow it through is a great feeling. It seems in this world it is easy come easy go. If something is too hard we don't do it, or buy it, or have someone else do it. Why not TRY, or DO IT your self? Determination and perseverance and a litter elbow grease are often all you need. So my challenge for all today is to try something new that you have always wanted to do. It may be build a piece of furniture, sew some curtains, cook a new recipe. I know you can do it...just like I did.

Have a HAPPY day!

Easter...

Wow it has been a while since I have blogged. Life is busy, life is GREAT! What more can I say. Yesterday we were invited to an Easter party, and what a party it was! The kids had a GREAT time and I was relieved that someone else planned it. Usually I have planned the Easter party...but this year all I had to do was show up and that was fantastic!

Here are a few pictures:

Carson is the most un-photogenic person I know. This was the best I could get out of him. LOL!

It was a fantastic party, even though little Grace wasn't feeling very well. The boys had a great time hunting for eggs, rolling their dyed eggs down the ramp and playing with the other kids.

Thanks Sister Stringam for inviting us. I know we will remember this party for many months to come!

How fitting the General Conference fell on Easter Sunday this year. What a better way to remember our Saviour and the sacrifice he made for us by listening to a Prophet of the Lord. It seems there is always a talk just for me. Something I need to learn or to change. I love feeling uplifted as I hear the words spoken by the apostles. I am so thankful for technology that allows us multiple ways of hearing these great words.

I am happy that this year I am having our Easter supper at our house. I love getting together with my family, eating a good meal, and just enjoying each others company.

Here is a picture of my sweet little Grace. She always brightens my day with her cute smile and spunky personality!

Race Day!

Today is Race Day for me! I have entered the Moonlight 6k run. I am excited, nervous, and anxious. I can already feel the adrenaline running through my body and I had a very hard time getting to sleep last night. LOL! 6k I know I can do, I have done 8k before, so really there is no need for me to worry. I am just dreading the 1km + hill at the very end that has an incredibly steep incline which I have NOT trained for. The rest will be "easy peasy lemon squeezy" as my kids say. So wish me luck and pray that my calves can handle it. LOL! I have set a goal of 40min to finish...I hope I can do it. Stay tuned and I'll update tomorrow on my results. For now I am going to take it easy and enjoy this beautiful sunny day and possible/hopefully take a nap!

Fun Little Getaway!

We just got back from out little family weekend vacation to Calgary. Not too far away from home, but far enough not to be at home, which is SO what I needed. We had the best time! No major catastrophes, minimal fighting, and just happy KIDS! The kids loved swimming and I think we brought home fish instead of children. They played Lego on our "deck" at the hotel for hours. Lego is seriously the BEST invention. I can't begin to count up the countless hours my boys have spent building, creating and using their imagination. I don't care how much we have already...there is always room for MORE!

It was fun to visit a few places we haven't been before. I am amazed that there is so much literally right in our "backyard" our own province that we never see. Why is that we think we have to travel to foreign places to see the world? We really don't, there is so much to see so close to home. That is my goal over the summer, to visit places that I haven't been to that are close to home. Like Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. I have lived in Alberta for 95% of my life and NEVER been there! What a shame. Also Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks, never been their either, but hopefully this summer I will be able to check a few places off my list.

So we went to C.O.P. (Canada Olympic Park). We went to the Olympic Museum, and were a bit disappointed to be honest. Mind you the elderly gentlemen who were the guides were very nice, loved the kids, and let us go in for FREE...so that was a BONUS! Not very much for little kids so we didn't last too long. I love the pictures of my kids though holding the torch. Who knows maybe we have a future Olympian in our house. COP does look like a GREAT place to take kids skiing though. Maybe next year we will enroll the boys in lessons there.

We had to go to Chuck E Cheese. FUN place to play...TERRIBLE place to eat! The kids spent a few hours though being entertained by all the fun arcade games, so it was worth it. We also went to the new CrossIron Mills mall. Holy HUGENESS! My feet were very sore after walking all over that mall...but I was in shopping heaven so I can't complain too much.

We spent some time at the Science Center. The kids spent a few hours exploring and playing. Carson could have stayed ALL day at the Lego table. We had to DRAG him away. LOL! Grace loved playing in WOW town. Tyler even went on the G-Force bicycle ride, he is such a good sport. I can't wait to see what the new science center will be like. Guess we will have to wait a year or so to find out.

We also went to the Aero Space Museum (never had it on our list of places to go but it was right across the street from our hotel so why not right?) It was actually quite cool and Tyler enjoyed reading about the war and seeing the artifacts. Some of the planes in there were massive. You really never realize just how huge a plane is until you are up close to it. They really are a great, magnificent invention.

This weekend was so great because we didn't have a schedule, didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time. It was nice to let the kids swim when they wanted and we could relax in our room. It was nice to go shopping and let the kids pick out their own toy for not complaining. It was fun to get some great deals at Old Navy, and BEST of all it was GREAT just being TOGETHER!

Another Adventure...

Yesterday was Carson's turn to try cross country skiing. Ever since he saw the pictures from when Tyson & I went he has been asking to go. So today was the day! It was a beautiful day up in Waterton. Which if you live near by and go there often you know the nice days without wind are few and far between. But we managed to get another nice day while up there. It was great to have Grandma & Grandpa J. come with us too.

Carson did GREAT!

We were all so proud of him. It was great to see him try something new, something outdoors, something that requires a bit of physical effort. There were times though when we had to encourage him, sing fun songs and cheer him on to give him the strength he needed to move on. But he did it...and he had FUN!

I am loving the ages my kids are right now. There are so many fun things we can do together as a family. It has been great to try a few new things this winter, to just be together and enjoy each others company. I am looking forward to trying many more new things with my kids!

Saying Goodbye...

Today I have come to the END of my rope...with our puppy Holly. I will back up a bit and explain how and why we got her, before telling why we are giving her back.

Carson has wanted a pet of his own for some time. Something to be responsible for, something to take care of and give him some self confidence. So I thought what a perfect Christmas gift for him. My mother in law breeds dogs and just bred Puggles. A cross between a Beagle and a Pug. They were ADORABLE puppies. She informed me of their temperament, and was trying to sway me into taking one of her Bichon Shizu puppies, which I declined. I just fell in love with the Puggles. So I took Carson down to grandma's to see what he thought. He loved the puppy grandma had picked out for him & he named her Holly. Now we had to figure out a way for "Santa" to get Holly to our house. So we managed that fairly well a few day early though. I wrote a letter explaining that Santa had to deliver Holly early because he didn't have room for her in his sleigh. In the letter he was told to take very good care of her, to feed and water her everyday and to give her lots of LOVE. He was so excited.

Now 2 months later....I have to admit Carson has done very well with the dog. He takes her out to go potty, feeds her 2 times a day and plays with her a lot. My problem and the reason for giving her back is that she STILL isn't house trained....after 2 months! We take her out constantly and still she has numerous accidents. She is a runner! If she gets out the front door, be prepared to spend at least 20 minutes chasing her in circles between our house and the neighbors before she will come into the back yard. Seriously that is the most frustrating part. And she still whimpers/barks/cries at night. I didn't know I was taking on another baby that gets up in the night. I am SO done with that. And to top it off she sheds...and it is getting bad. Forget about wearing black...it is instantly covered in hair. GROSS!

Today as I chased her around the yard for what seemed like an hour I had realized that I just couldn't put up with this any longer. That I should have listened to several people before taking on the responsibility of a puppy. That sometimes you just have to give up and realize that you have bitten off more than you can chew and carry on. I realized that sometimes my sanity is more important than dealing with something I can't handle. So I called my mother in law and she said, no problem she will take her back.

Carson has been crying...and CRYING...and CRYING! I feel completely awful but relieved at the same time. It is like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I won't be fuming any more when I walk in a nice warm puddle of pee on the floor. I won't want to pull my hair out anymore when I can smell dog poop somewhere in the house. That will all be OVER. But I will miss my little Holly snuggling with me while I watch t.v. I will miss her cute little face looking at me when she wants a treat. I hope Carson's heart will heal quickly. I told him we should take some pictures with him & Holly so he could always look at them and remember her. I hope that helps. I feel like a terrible mother taking something away from my child that he loves so much. I hope he doesn't hold my decision against me. I hope he can understand why she had to go back. I hope Holly goes to a good home, where she will be loved like we loved her!

Olympic Spirit...

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter games start tonight. I am excited! I love the Olympics and even more so this year since they are in CANADA! YEAH! In the spirit of the Olympics I decided to make Tyson a crocheted hat with the Olympic rings. I think it turned out SO cute!

Tyson insisted that I HAD to make Mrs. Kerr a hat for Valentine's Day. So I did, and she LOVED it! I think it looks so darn cute on her.

Tyson LOVES the Olympic Mascots. There is a really fun site to learn more about them & to play games. Check it out here.

We are all looking forward to watching the opening ceremonies tonight & then tuning for the rest of the week to watch the even. GO TEAM CANADA GO!

I like the winter Olympics the best. I love almost every event. I hope Canada does well...especially on home turf. Those athletes must feel SO much pressure to do well. It will be fun watching. So what is your favorite Olympic event?

Celebratin 100 Days...

Today is the 100th day of school. Last year I had so much fun doing this to Tyson.

He loved it too! It took me a LONG time, but it was so worth it. He loved all the

attention he got at school.

This year I opted to do something easier, but still cool. Tyson said he liked the idea and was calling himself "The Bird Man." I think the name is fitting for the hat. LOL!

I also made the party cake to celebrate 100 days.

Tyson also had to take 100 pieces of cereal to share with the class.

Last year I wrote down 100 things about Tyson and I think it was such a fun thing to do for him that I will do it again. I'm sure some things will be different & some will be the same.

1. Born on August 16, 2002
2. Was a small baby 5lbs 14oz
3. Has brown hair
4. Brown eyes
5. Size 13 shoe
6. Wears size 7 pants, with the waist cinched in
7. LOVES cheese
8. LOVES macaroni and cheese for school lunch
9. Is in CTR 8 primary class
10. Will turn 8 this year
11. Will be baptized in the fall
12. A GREAT big brother
13. A very big help to mom
14. Adores is baby sister
15. LOVES Tae Kwon Do
16. LOVES Basketball and is quite good at it
17. Doesn't like piano very much
18. Is a GREAT reader
19. Loves to read the Magic Tree House Books (we are on book 28 of the series and have read them all in order)
20. Is a awesome speller, almost 100% on all his tests so far this year
21. Went cross country skiing for the first time this year
22. Is a good friend
23. Kind to everyone
24. Has a tender heart
25. LOVES reptiles
26. Knows lots about reptiles & amphibians
27. Wants a SNAKE SO bad...but that IS NOT happening
28. Loves to build with Lego
29. Still loves the color red
30. LOVES to play on his DSI
31. Loves PLAIN cheese burgers
32. Likes to chew gum...always has more than one piece in his mouth
33. Good skater
34. Loves avocados
35. Saving his money for a Crocodile Skink (another reptile)
36. Wants to go to Lego land on a holiday
37. Loves camping
38. Likes to swim
39. Hates onions
40. Hates tomatoes
41. Hates beans
42. Is becoming a more picky eater these days
43. Has a GREAT memory
44. Loves the scriptures
45. Still can't tie his own shoe laces
46. Out going
47. Very polite
48. Obedient
49. Feeds his reptile everyday
50. Adventurous
51. Loves roller coasters
52. Loves water slides
53. Loves his Olympic hat I crochet for him
54. Is interested in the Olympic mascots
55. Had a speaking part in the School Christmas concert this year
56. Does very well in school
57. Likes to go to the movies
58. Loved the Chronicles of Narnia movie
59. Likes to have friends over to play
60. Likes to ride his bike
61. Is very responsible
62. Loves playing video games
63. Likes to earn his own allowance money
64. Is a good money saver
65. Does the recycling everyday
66. LOVES bacon!
67. Wants to try down hill skiing
68. Likes to listen to music on his DSI
69. Is starting to "like" girls
70. Say's you need a girlfriend on Valentine's day. LOL!
71. Likes to share with his siblings
72. Likes to have pizza & movie night on Fridays
73. Is a night owl
74. Likes to tease his brother
75. Likes to do tricks on his bike
76. DOES NOT like sushi
77. Has a great smile
78. All of his missing teeth have all grown in
79. Has lots of energy
80. Loves learning new things
81. Is easily entertained
82. Likes spending time with mom
83. Loved the date he went on with mom to Cheesecake Cafe
84. Has taken piano for 3 years
85. Does not want to take piano again next year
86. Is honest
87. Is very happy 95% of the time
88. Gets grumpy is he hasn't had enough sleep
89. Has started to eat A LOT more
90. Likes to go sledding
91. Doesn't like soccer anymore
92. Learned to knee board this summer at the lake and LOVED it!
93. His likes to "deal" with people
94. He is a good sales man
95. He likes to have sleep overs at his Grandparents house
96. Likes it when mom comes to help out in his class at school
97. He has a righteous spirit
98. Wants to please his parents
99. Loves life
100. LOVES his family!

Please Help Me...

I just had to quickly write this down so I don't forget. My kids are probably like yours and say the funniest things sometimes. They do silly things too that have us rolling in laughter. Well if you know my little Carson, he is the dramatic one in our family. He can crack us up with his cute humor and have us pulling out hair out with his dramatic behaviour. All in all though he is a great kid and we LOVE him. He is in kindergarten this year, the very youngest in his class. He just turned 5 at the end of December and most of the other kids are 6. Needless to say he is going to kindergarten again next year, but we planned it that way so no one is disappointed about it. So you can see that his maturity level isn't where the other kids is. So naturally he still acts like the youngest. The other day I guess he was acting up when they were getting in line to go to gym. His teacher, who is so great with him, told him that he had to sit on the time out chair for a minute. She continued to take the other kids down to the gym while he thought about what he had done. When she came back to get him she saw him sitting on the chair with her arms folded, head bowed and he said, "Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to be a good boy in school." She had to quietly walk out of the room and compose her self. She said it was the cutest thing she has ever seen.

So I guess all of the countless prayers when he as acting up, not folding his arms, eyes open don't really matter because when it really comes down to it, he gets it! He understands what we do and what we say when speaking to our Father in Heaven. He knows that He will help him no matter what the problem. It touched my heart to know that YES some things are sinking in his little brain even if I don't see it at home.

I Tired Something NEW!

So one of my goals for this year is to try new things. To be adventurous, to learn something, or to even eat something I hadn't before. Life is to short to not experience all that you can. So yesterday I tried something new and LOVED IT!

I took Tyson and we went cross country skiing with my parents. It was SO much fun. It couldn't have been a more beautiful, calm day. You never know what kind of weather you are going to have in Waterton, but this day was perfect. We skied to Cameron lake, which was 5km round trip. It is a very easy flat ski/hike. We passed a few people along the way, some were skiing others were snowshoeing. All were having a great time! It was so nice to get out and be active. To also spend time with Tyson. He was so enthusiastic and caught on so fast. He could easily out ski all of us. He also FELL a lot more that we did too, but I did manage to fall a few times and we all had a good laugh.

When we got to the lake we had a wonderful little break and ate our lunch. There were the most tame birds there & they were so pretty. They would come right up to us and eat the bread out of our hand. Tyson really enjoyed this. Grandpa even put some bread on his nose and the bird came and took it.

It was a great day and something I look forward to doing again very soon. There is nothing better than spending time with family on a beautiful day!

My Obsession...

As of late I have been on a crocheting spree. I can't get enough. My hands like to be busy and they have been SO busy crocheting that now I fear I have carpal tunnel in my right hand. or that I may develop arthritis. Oh well it is for a good cause. I have made my boys several hats, invented my own way to add ear flaps too. Grace has so many hats she could wear a different one every day of the week. Now that my kids are all decked out in head gear I have started making them for friends. My deal...they buy the yard...I make the hats. Sounds like a great deal to me!

Now that my friends kids are decked out in hats I have started making preemie hats and donated them to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary where I have a friend who is there with her preemie baby. These ity bity hats are SO cute! I have enjoyed every moment crocheting them, knowing that somewhere some baby's little head is going to stay warm. It is good to help others, even those we don't know. I have no idea what families those little hats are going to, or who's baby is going to wear one. But it is a great feeling to know that maybe in some small way I may have brightened someones day.

I have found some great websites with FREE crochet patterns. For all you crochet enthusiast have fun looking at all these fun things you can make.

Care Wear

Suzie's Stuff

And I am currently working on this...SO CUTE & EASY!

I have also started making dish cloths. Crochet dish cloths are the BEST! They are a great project for someone who is just learning to crochet. I found a whole bunch of FREE patterns here!

Just found this pattern...aren't' they SO cute!

If you haven't tried a new craft/hobby...DO IT! Even though we have graduated from High School, College or University doesn't mean now we stop learning. Try something that you have always wanted to. Do your brain some good and put it to work but learning or trying something new. Or just get better at something you like to do.

Happy Crafting!

Good Books...

Tonight Tyson & I finished reading this book:

We haven't ever finished reading a Ready Freddy book before, always seemed to start and not finish because Magic Tree House would take over our reading time. But tonight as we finished the last chapter I was so happy with the message behind the book. I took the time to explain to the kids how important it is for us to be good sports, to encourage our team mates and to NEVER give up! I am excited to read the other Ready Freddy books we have on our book shelf.

Isn't it great when you can read a book and learn about a great life lesson? I love that, especially in kids books. I love to read and I am so happy that Tyson does too. He is fascinated with all the Magic Tree House book & I can't believe how much he is learning form them. I surely didn't know about the Civil & Revolutionary war when I was 7! Nor did I know about the Volcano that erupted and buried the city of Pompeii. If you haven't read your kids these books....DO IT! You and them will learn so much!

I am on book number 4 of the Harry Potter series and I am almost done. I can't wait to be done! I must admit that I didn't think I would EVER read those book, I'm not to into magic and wizards, but I have been pleasantly surprised and have really enjoyed them. So happy reading everyone! Oh I know there are you "lurkers" out there that occasion my blog...so why not post a comment and tell me your favorite book or a book you are currently reading. I could always use a GOOD book suggestion. I have no clue what I am going to read after I am through with Harry Potter...so give me a few ideas...PLEASE!

I Have Everything...But the Kitchen Sink...LITERALLY!

Kids, aren't they GREAT! They bring us so much joy and happiness but I have learned along the way that you CAN'T have nice things with a small growing family! Does anyone else feel like this? Thankfully I don't have many horror stories to tell about how destructive my little munchkins have been, but I have a few.

Our latest incident was how our oldest broke the kitchen faucet. It wasn't totally his fault and the tap was getting harder to turn on and swivel from sink to sink, but never the less he put the final touches on it and now it is broken. No big deal right...wrong. Do you know how expensive a new one is? More money than I was planning on spending right now. But I can't go without water in the kitchen and especially since my dishwasher has been broken for almost 6 months! That is another story...LOL! So my handy (not really) husband took it all apart the other day with intentions that I would go and buy one in the morning, which I did...and got the wrong one. There were SO many and I had no idea if it was a 3 hole or a 1 hole installation. I quickly found out that he sent a woman to do a man's job! So I bought what I thought was the right faucet with the help of a Home Depot employee and headed for home with high hopes that I would be able to wash the breakfast dishes. Well that didn't happen. I didn't buy the hose I needed...didn't know I needed it, and the faucet didn't fit with out sink. So unfortunately I didn't get running water. But the dishes DID get washed! Mind you I had to haul water from the bathtub to the kitchen sink. And while I was doing this it made me reflect on what life would have been like as a pioneer. They didn't know the luxury of having running water in their home. They either had to fetch it from the well or the nearest lake or river. The didn't have the convenience of turning the tap to hot or cold. I didn't complain about having to haul water to the kitchen. As I hauled the 3 buckets of hot water to the kitchen, I had thoughts of thank fullness. I was thankful that I knew that in another day I would once again have running water, that I had a husband that could install the new faucet. That I had the luxury of HOT water when ever I wanted it, I didn't have to boil my water to bathe my kids or have a drink of clean water. How often we take such little, simple, everyday things for granted.

Later last night I was also very thankful for indoor plumbing! As I became ill and spent 1/2 the night throwing up I just couldn't imagine being a pioneer. It isn't fun being sick, but to be sick living on the prairie, in the wilderness, in a tent seems so much more worse! I was also very thankful to have a husband who holds the Priesthood. As I travelled back and forth from my bed to the bathroom I couldn't remember feeling so terrible. The thought came into my mind that I should as Tyler to give me a blessing. Then thought like, "you shouldn't wake him he has to get up early, " came into my mind. And still the nagging thought that I should ask him to do it was stronger. I am so happy that I did and that we was willing to get up and give me one. I knew that his sweet words and through the priesthood power I was able to feel better and get a few hours of sleep before my kids woke up.

I guess I learned a lot yesterday. To be thankful for all those little things. To not take everyday luxuries for granted. And to rely on a power greater than myself.

Kids...

This CRAZY, full of LIFE, INTO EVERYTHING girl keeps me BUSY to say the least.

She keeps me hoping all day long. She is full of spunk and has a wonderful, playful personality. She is happy ALL OF THE TIME, which is so nice! She is a great sleeper, 12 hours a night at least and will still nap 2 times a day at 18 months. So today while I was keeping up to her I thought I would let her color with markers. What did I expect an 18 month old to do with it but put it in her mouth...of course. She did a good job at coloring on the paper and NOT the chair, but with my back turned for only a milisecond, she put it in her mouth and bit down on the tip. BLUE everywhere, thank goodness they are washable! So instead of reacting like I normally would with the usual GRACIE! I said, come on lets go take a picture. Now I have these cute photos of my baby girls first art project.

Here she is reading her picture. She is just babling away. It was so cute

.

This boy LOVES LEGO!

He will play with it all day. He is unhappy if one of his creations get broken. He especially doesn't like it when his little sister takes his pieces. She can run away very fast with a handful Lego. It is an ongoing game with her I think. I love how Lego lets kids be creative. Sure they all come in a box with a specific project to make & my kids love that, but once the project is made and it gets broken they love creating their own things as well. Sure there are a MILLION little pieces all over their bedroom floor, I can't count the number that have been vacuumed up, but they love it and that is all that matters. In

my opinion you can NEVER have enough Lego!

So even though kids are a LOT of work, they take a LOT of patience they are WORTH it!

Routine...

I like routine...always have. I seem to do the same things in the exact same order everyday. And when the routine gets messed up it throws me off kilter. I loved the Christmas holidays. They were busy, hectic, a blur, loud, and chaotic. The routine was broken..demolished...non existent. I was happy when the 2 weeks came to an end and the routine started again. Kids off to school, beds made, kitchen clean, piano practised, books read, bed time routine, scriptures read, and ME time. The kids have been less crazy and so have I. LOL!

I am so very thankful this week for answers to prayer, for miracles. For 3 healthy, beautiful children. As I have had a friend in mind all week who had to have an emergency c-section and her baby was only 1lb. 7oz. I reflected on the birth of my children. It was such a happy, exciting time. Sure each delivery had a few scary moments, Tyson had to have the vacuum and Carson wasn't breathing when he came out but after a few moments they were screaming, pink and healthy. I can't imagine what her and her husband are going through as they were told their baby would die if it wasn't taken from her womb. And then knowing that he still didn't have much of a chance once he entered the world. I was relieved when I heard that this tiny baby was breathing on his own and that he was slowly gaining weight. They do have a long road ahead of them, a long hospital stay, and I am sure many sleepless nights, but it seems their worst fear is over, he will live! We are all thankful for that!

My sister introduced me to this musical artist awhile ago and I just love her music. Check her out on iTunes. My favourite song of hers right now is "If only I had today." It really makes me think about what is important in life. Is it really important if my house is spic and span when I ignored the child that wanted a story read? I think not. Our children are only little for so long, they only think mom & dad are "cool" for so long. They are only teachable and receptive for so long. I don't want to look back on my life in 20 years and regret and thing " I should have..." spent more time with them, listened to them more, played with them more. Life is busy, hectic and very demanding, and sometimes I loose site of what is important. Thank goodness for simple sweet reminders that help me put things back into perspective. Life is good, prayers are answered and miracles happen everyday.

Wow I can't believe that a year has gone by and I find myself faced with the adventures of a new year. How exciting! I love January, it is a fresh start, a time to reflect and a time to make changes. I have been thinking alot latley about what things need to be improved on in my life...and there are many. So many that at times it feels like too big of a task to undertake. LOL! But I will choose a few things this year and make them a priority to improve upon. So here is to a fresh start and to bettering ourselves.

Christmas has come and gone and what a whirlwind of a few weeks it was! My house was filled with excitement, too much food, laughter, many loud voices, present, wrapping paper, family and friends. It was great. I loved the way we did Christmas this year. We were able to be at our own home and put our kids to sleep in their own beds. It was so fun to see the excitement on their faces as the bolted down the stairs to see what Santa had given them. I was very impressed with how grateful they were for what they had been given. Carson kept saying thank you and "this is the BEST Christmas EVER!" I had Christmas dinner here at my house later in the day and it was so nice to have my family with us. The kids had fun playing together and we all enjoyed visiting. I realized just how truly blessed I am. I thought about all those families or people who didn't have a warm place to spend Christmas, a Christmas meal to eat, and presents to open. It made my heart ache for those people and my heart swell for all that I have been given. I thought about the items we donated to a family in need and it made me feel good to know that at least one family wouldn't be going hungry or without presents when they otherwise would have. There is nothing better than serving at Christmas...but I need to do it all throughout the year as well....one of my goals for this year. Now on to a few pictures: