December 1st!

It seems like I've been away from blogging for a few weeks, and sadly I really don't have much to update on.

Last month I started watching my sister's little guy for her a couple days a week. She had to go back to work part time after her maternity leave, and I couldn't imagine having my little nephew in the home of someone we didn't know. It has been fun to have him, and WW loves to have him here to play but I've had to keep one close eye on him and his new dinosaur tendensies... (biting and growling) JJ is the sweetest little guy and doesn't put up any fuss when he's dropped off. He eats like no other baby I've seen, and just goes down for a nap without any problem. He's nothing like my baby! :)

I also finally heard back from Edmonton Public schools... I can't even begin to tell you have slow that process was, but I should have my subbing package to me this week, and I'll be all set to be in the school this December! I am just so excited to be back in the classroom. I'm also so grateful to friends who are already employees of EPSB who are going to put my name on their school lists so I get some work. My sister is also going to be available on the days she is home to watch WW for me. It will hopefully be a good situation for us both!

I have a cousin from Ontario that I haven't seen in maybe 20ish years that just made the big move to Alberta. He is staying with my parents looking to start over and begin a career in Heavy Equipment Operation. We are praying hard for him to find something perfect that will make his move worth his while. I guess the work in Ontario is pretty sad, and the pay even worse, so hopefully he'll get on his feet here with the help of my parents. It's been neat to get to know him again, he looks so much like my dad it's funny. When I listen to his past situations it just makes me feel so blessed that my parents found the gospel and for the life I've had because of them.

A quick note about my sweet husband as well. I am so blessed to have him too! He is incredibly supportive and has always given me that push I needed to do bigger things with my life. He encouraged applying to the school boards, and we are so excited where that has taken us. He is also wonderful with my cousin, he's allowing him to use the truck when we aren't using it to help with the job hunt, and he just works so hard for our family. Last night as I went to go to bed I noticed he had made our bed and turned down the one corner on my side so it was all ready for me to get in... (he had to work last night) it was just the sweetest little gesture! I love him!

Our October!

We have had a great month this October, trying to keep busy and enjoy the end of the warm weather. We also had lots to look forward to with birthday parties and Halloween too.

We enrolled WW in a class at the library where we went for half an hour a week and heard stories and poems, sang songs and watched movies based on a particular theme for the week. It was fun to have a friend in the class too, GG, a friend from nursery was there too. These two loved to sit beside each other and when the movie started they would always share a cushion. One week GG put her arm around WW. It was very sweet.

We also enrolled WW in swimming lessons before the weather got too bad. It was an evening class so that BJ would be able to take him too. WW ended up enjoying his pool time with his dad much more than his mom. I would try to get him to do the actions stated in the song- which included a little water on his face and he would scramble up me crying trying to get out of the water. When BJ went WW was very happy to swim like a shark for him, and float like a starfish. I was happy to cheer from the sidelines and take pictures. Much less frustrating. I was happy when he passed the class even though he wouldn't do any of the necessary skills (blowing bubbles etc.) I just hope the next classes we put him in cure him of his big fear of the water on his face.

This one day WW missed a nap and fell alseep at my parents house mid-popcorn. He was chatting with my dad literally a second before he fell asleep. You could see him chewing to finish his mouth full. It was too cute a picture to leave out.
I worked a few shifts this month at the optometry clinic. We got BJ a new pair and while he was picking some out, WW picked some out too. He really wanted pink and purple ones but I convinced him that they were more for girls than boys. I just love how glasses look on little kids, but would never want that for my babies, unless necessary of course.
My little nephew JJ turned 1 this month, and we had a party for him at his Grandma J's house. It was great fun with a cute monkey theme. Anyone who knows my sister knows what a big camera/picture person she is. But as the party was starting she realized she had left the memory card at home for her one camera, the battery was dying on her second back up. So I took some pictures, but my battery died. Her father in law and my dad took pictures too, but the quality was brutal, my mom's camera ran out of card space. It was sad it turned out that way. At least we have some record of his big day!
The birthday boy.
We bought WW Halloween costume at least a month ago, and he's been wearing it since. So when Halloween finally came we were all ready and practiced with the "trick or treat". He had been pretty sick with the flu for the week and a half prior to Halloween, but his dad still made sure he got to carve a pumpkin etc. A shark if you can't tell.
We ended up taking WW into the UofA when he woke up one morning with a croup-like cough. He was forced to wear this mask, which didn't go well. I think he impressed all the doctors later when he was allowed to remove the mask, he was completely pleasant and answered all their questions. It was a long 10 days of staying in, and being germ paranoid so he didn't get any worse, but we were glad we did because he was able to enjoy Halloween with his cousins.
BJ and my dad brought all this styrofoam home in order to insulate our crawl space under our house a little better. there was quite a few larger pieces that wouldn't fit down the hole so while BJ was under the house putting up the little pieces WW and I were making a fort with the bigger ones. It is still in the middle of my living room.
WW dressed in his T-Rex costume, cousin JJ in his tigger costume.
SF, AH, CF and WW all dressed and ready for trick-or treating. Together at the annual Fixsen family Halloween get together.
Heading out to trick-or-treating with dad.
Scary face. I just love these boys so much!!!
I hope everyone had a happy Halloween, and a great October.

Clever

We have been potty training WW for quite some time now and he has done so well for only being 2. BJ created a potty chart for him so that if he had 17 days of no accidents in a row then the boys would go out and pick a new crocodile/dinosaur toy. He was at day 15 a few weeks ago and then had a mini meltdown and peed his pants on the carpet because he was upset and didn't seem to want BJ to sit him on the potty instead of me. So after that set back we started again... BJ says you can't just give in, so we've been working hard at encouraging and WW hasn't had an accident again in a good 14 days. I reminded him this morning he only had 3 more days till we went out to pick out his new toy... and we even took a glance at Zellers today to see what was available.

Anyways, long story short, I got him out of his bed today after his nap and his pants were wet. So while he was sitting on the toilet I said something like "oh WW you need to sit on the potty when you have to pee... don't go in your pants." and he replied with....

"no mommy, my pants got wet because I licked the bed with my tongue, and then my pants got wet."

How clever to realize that the tongue was wet too, and could account for his wet pants. There was NO hesitation in his explanation. I am constantly amazed by our little man. We just love him to bits, and makes us laugh everyday!

I plan to not hold this little accident against him this time because it truly was an accident. He has been doing so well, and we haven't even been putting diapers on at bedtime anymore... No accidents. With his track record lately I wonder if maybe it was just his tongue making his bed wet.... he wouldn't lie to me :)

My month!!

October is officially going to be MY MONTH!!! I have nothing but positive thoughts about what this month and the next couple may hold for my little family.

#1- We've decided that now is the time to look for another house. We are so fortunate to be able to hang onto the condo as an investment property and rent it out, but we are looking forward to bigger and better things for our little family. We love our home now, but with BJ's shift work it just is not working very well anymore. WW is very loud and refuses to whisper, and everything we need for the day is right outside the room where BJ sleeps. We just need more space... there is only so much space you can take up in other peoples homes with our extra boxes and storage.

#2- I finally have heard from Edmonton Public Schools. I have a screening interview on the 13th of October and will hopefully be put on the sublist. I'm very nervous but I'm so grateful to SH who helped me remember some important things about teaching that will help me with the interview. I owe her big! I'll be watching my sister's little guy starting in November a couple days a week, and then she'll be available to watch WW on the other days so I can sub. It should work well!

#3- Thanksgiving is one of my VERY FAVORITE holidays. Turkey is delicious and family fun is memorable... but it's so great to really ponder and acknowledge the many blessings we have in our lives that we are grateful for. WW is also looking forward to strutting his stuff in his scary dinosaur costume for Halloween. I'm hoping I can convince my sister in law to have her annual family get together this year again. WW looks so great in his costume, and would wear it everywhere if I let him.

#4- This could be our month for many more exciting possibilities. I've been loving getting back to the gym regularly, and LOVE having my sister in law be my workout buddy. She is the best! We are working hard and will hopefully find a good fun run for us to try next spring/summer... we just get to train till then. BJ is always working so hard to support our family, I'm SOOO lucky to have him. I'm just feeling really good! We are looking forward to a trip just the two of us in the middle of November... that isn't this month, but we are looking at trips and deciding what we might want to do... so daydreaming is definitely going on this month! Maybe good things will continue for the rest of the year.

I sure hope everyone else is having a good month too, and has things to look forward to. All the best!!!

Safety First

I read a good suggestion on a friends blog about not using names or locations in your blog posting, so I've adjusted all my previous posts to just have initials. I just hope it's not too confusing years from now :)

Thanks for the suggestions SH!!!

San Francisco

BJ is away with his brothers and dad on a guys trip to San Francisco. We ended up doing separate vacations this year because that was how it turned out, but it's been difficult being the one left behind this time. Don't get me wrong, I was so excited for him to have this trip and I wasn't interested in the things they were going to do- (professional sporting events) but I didn't realize how much I'd miss him.

WW and I are having a busy time at home. We had swimming lessons, Salto drop in with some friends, HF's birthday party, WEM, and a bbq... but we are still looking forward to Monday night.

I talked to BJ yesterday and he was telling me about his trip, and he has had the same feelings as I did when I was in New York without him... "oh I have to show LJ this..." so we may be making our way back to both cities sometime together because I know it would be a completely different experience for each of us.

I'll post some of his hundreds of pictures when he gets back, maybe he'll even be willing to contribute a post. It's just nice to be reminded of how much he does around here, and how much I miss him when he's gone. Sometimes he gets taken for granted when he's around!

27!

I just turned 27 this week and have had a really hard time with it. It just sounds so old! I completely appreciate that everyone is aging at the same rate as me, and that there are alot of people that are older than me... BUT I can't help the way I feel.

I thought earlier that maybe I was feeling bad about 27 because I hadn't accomplished much in my 27 years of life, but upon reflection I'm realizing that I have alot, and have done alot so far.

A home of our own, 2 vehicles paid in full, an amazingly supportive husband, a university degree, a beautiful son, savings in the bank, we're all healthy, we have incredible families we are a part of... I could really go on and on.

I'm realizing now that I have turned 27 that it's really not so bad, and I should just decide on those other things I want to accomplish before I turn 28 so I'm prepared- and focus on the fact that I'm lucky to have made it this far, and it will be a blessing to continue to age even farther!

More Summer

What a terrible blogger I have been. The more that happens, the farther behind I get because I know how long it's going to take to catch up. I have decided that I should maybe just set one day a week and blog about something... then I'll stay on top of things.

We have been having a great summer, look forward to ALOT of pictures. Starting with WW's 2nd birthday party. My little boy is now 2, and we had such a great time with family and close friends to celebrate with him. He is having a big summer too... we've been potty training, and enjoying the weather with bike rides, park play dates and short family trips.

(Above) my sweet birthday boy!!
Splashing in the little pool my sister set up for WW's party. We were so lucky because my sister allowed us to have his party in her beautiful backyard. It was the warmest day, and then we had the craziest storm right after. The party was perfect except everyone rushing to get home before the sort hit.

(Above) WW and his best friend AH sharing a snack! They are just the cutest together... WW hasn't quite figured out how to play with kids his own age, but the two of them have always been close and have always played well together.
(Above) The cake!!! My sister and I slaved all day friday on this cake. It turned out just perfect!
(above) Those two cute kids again, holding hands on the way home from their park play date.
(above) Just last week we had our last family holiday of the summer. We were so lucky to be able to spend lots of time with BJ's family. CF and JF and the girls live in Airdrie now and so they are in the perfect location for us ALL to come visit. BJ, WW and I drove down Tuesday and spent a couple nights with them... and then we went to the Calgary Zoo Wednesday with most of the Fixsen family... and then continued onto Banff with BJ's parents for a couple of days. It was a great trip! Lots of pictures following.
(above) WW's sour face. It is really sooo funny!!!
Cousins. The cutest kids I know. We were sad we didn't have the other three with us... next time we'll have to plan it so everyone can come.
(above) SF. What a handsome little guy!!
(above) CF- Can you believe how old he looks here. So handsome!
(above) BJ liked this picture because it shows me scowling... the things he has to deal with married to a red head. I must give him this look alot because he was pretty happy to have it on the camera as proof.
(above) Beautiful BF. I just love this picture!
(above) Sweet CF. What a stunning smile.

(above) BJ and his brother CF.
My sweet boy!!! What a cutie!
(above) our little family in the flower gardens in Banff.
WW and Papa Fixsen waiting for our day to start.
Our family on the top of Lake Louise. We took the gondola up. WW came with us on the open chair lift. We looked so hard for bears but didn't see any. Papa on the other hand has quite the eye for wildlife and saw two. We just weren't quick enough.
(above) WW and I on the chair lift
My handsome husband on the chair lift.
I like this picture, because there are so few pictures of WW and I because I always have the camera... it's nice to have proof that I was on the trip too.
My boys throwing rocks into Lake Louise
Matching hats. I am so lucky to have such wonderful boys!

Hiking up Johnston Canyon. WW and I didn't get very far because he had had a little too much gatorade and peed his pants... twice.
My sweet husband carrying all the heavy stuff. What a trooper!
WW peeing in the bush. He really enjoyed peeing where ever we were, but had trouble coming home after and remembering to pee in the toilet again. Funny kid!
One last hug for the bear before we headed home. It was really nice to spend some time with BJ's family and his parents. The weather was just perfect. We are very lucky to have such wonderful families that we get along so well with. Summer is almost over but we have lots of things to look forward to in September... swimming lessons, library classes and much more. Stay tuned. I'll be better at this... I want to have this record for my family to read, so I better work on it.

Summer Holidays... so far

We have been having a great summer so far, I'm looking forward to the months to come. I have made a decision with myself to be open to whatever, and have been pleasantly surprised at all the fun we've been having. I feel sorry for WW and BJ sometimes because I feel like a party pooper quite a bit, being the 'level headed' boring member of the family. So changing my outlook has been good for me to learn to let loose and go with the flow, and also great for my boys who get to experience more, with the momma tagging along.

We went camping to Crimson Lake with MF, HF and the boys. We went camping with them last year too, and it really is the best camping you can do. We do have to sleep in a tent- but BJ bought a sweet new air mattress so that wasn't even so bad. We do everything else at their site, camp fires and meals taking advantage of all their stuff, and their beautiful trailer. I've never eaten so well away from home as I do when we are with them. Breakfast is the best, eggs, bacon, hash browns and a HUGE fruit salad. I'm hoping this will become a yearly tradition. We brought our bikes and the Chariot and got out riding. It was beautiful!

We were away for WW's actual birthday, so HF and MF brought a gift and a cake so we could have a little party for him while we were away. They were just way too thoughtful, BJ and I didn't bring him anything :)
Checking out the falls, I don't remember the name. They are about 15 minutes outside Nordegg. It was a treacherous hike to get down to the bottom, but WW encouraged us all to keep going... easy for him though because he was being carried. I think we were all glad we did it though. So beautiful!

My handsome husband. I couldn't leave this one out. I realize everyday how incredibly lucky WW and I are to have him in our lives. I fall more in love with him everyday. We had our first date anniversary on Canada Day- 5 years together. We drove to Ardrie for the night so we could go to Drumheller the next day, and the whole drive we reminisced about what we remember from way back then, first impressions etc. It was a good laugh to think about all that silly dating stuff.
Canada Parade in SP, we biked over to the mall and watched the cute little parade. WW absolutely loved it, and would not agree to go home until every single thing had passed. It was nice to see how many other people came out too. Canada Day afternoon we went out to Camrose to celebrate BJ's Grandma's birthday. It was so fun to see her, and all the aunts, uncles, cousins and now 2nd cousins. That family is so close, and are all so wonderful. It's so great to be a part of it.
Waving to the people in the parade.
Waving his flag.
This was the best float, a real buffalo/ bison whatever it is, in this car driving down the road. They kept it distracted with the food bowl on the hood.
After the parade, after Grandma Drever's party we drove down to Airdrie to see the fireworks with CF, JF and the girls. Then we slept over and went to Drumheller for the day. WW is really into Dinosaurs lately and so this was on my list of things to do this summer. It was great to see family, and lots of fun that they could come share the day with us and the dinosaurs.
WW, BF and CF.

I've decided it's time to start potty training WW to add to all the fun this summer has in store. I just couldn't help but add this picture of him in the cutest little boxer briefs I've ever seen. He is proud of his big boy underwear, but we have had some accidents. I just have to stay positive and motivated and I'm sure he'll pick it up really quick.

We'll that is our summer so far, I have been working a little bit like I mentioned in my last post, so we are keeping very busy. I'll let you know what else we have planned for the summer when we find out :)