Camera Shy

One of Brett's favorite past times is to look at old pictures on the iPad. The other night after we got the kids to bed we spent a long time flipping through old photos of Wyatt. There were sooooo many!!! We didn't even get through to the point of Isla's birth. Poor girl is quite neglected in the photos compared to our first born. I'm realizing tonight the problem though. She always wants to hold the camera. She has even figured out the camera on my cell phone.

I know this isn't the ONLY reason she has less photos. I need to put more effort into pulling out the camera more often. This girl is growing up way too fast.

Christmas Festivities

Now onto the fun! For the past few years we have gone down to the Legislature grounds with our friends the Dogan's to see the lights and wander around. It has been such a mild month that it was even more enjoyable to play in the snow, see the beautiful light displays and then head inside for some hot chocolate. I hope this tradition continues. I also hope ever winter is this warm.

December 10th we had our 'Fixsen Family' Christmas. We ate delicious turkey, all the cousin's got to hang out. Opened presents and just had fun family time. We got a new sister in law this year to help with the program. Every year we sing carols, but there are very few musically inclined Fixsen's. This year, Jaclyn accompanied us on her piano and we sounded WAY better. Horray for talent!
Wyatt got creepy crawlers from his grandparents. If I had known this was going to be "the gift" this year I would have saved the idea for myself :) He was soo excited! He loves to play with it too. The machine takes about 20 minutes to warm up, the goo melts and you press it into a bug mold, then you cool it (another 5-10 minutes) and then you can smash the bugs and grind them to use the bug goo again. It takes a good half hour to make a bug and Wyatt smashed/grinds it as soon as it's done. Pretty funny, but I can't believe how patient he is while he is waiting for the whole process to finish.
I dressed my kids up cute to see Santa, and Isla had a fit. They offered to let Brett and I sit in on the picture, but I figure every kid has at least one sad Santa photo.

Brett and I went to his work Christmas party. A fun night out for the two of us. The entertainment this year was weird. A fake casino with the staff acting out some other story on the side. They played blackjack, and at first Brett and I weren't planning to participate because the tables were busy and it looked kind of dumb, but then we started gambling and got hooked. I can see how it could become a problem for some ;) The most pathetic part was they had to teach us how to play blackjack. hahaha

Wyatt's Christmas concert for preschool. Isla was a monster and wanted the camera or to be on stage. Her and I spend the entire time at the back of the church in a little play house they have set up. Luckily I had volunteered earlier in the week for a concert practice and saw the show earlier. That way Brett and his mom could enjoy without interruption.

The little boy to Wyatt's right is his friend Cole. His mom is really great and we get the boys together and kidzquarters and we are able to visit for a few hours. I'm glad Wyatt is making new friends.
Christmas eve we spent the afternoon with our good friends Anita and Greg! They live in Ottawa, and it is so nice that they make time to see us when they are home.

The evening of Christmas eve we all opened new pajamas and watched a movie with popcorn. It was nice to spend time just our little family.

For Christmas this year I bought a HUGE roll of wrapping paper from Costco. So EVERY present I bought was wrapped in the same paper. I asked Brett earlier if he thought it would be a problem that Santa had the same wrap as us... he thought it was no big deal. Christmas morning Wyatt woke up early to see if Santa had come. The FIRST thing he does is come into our room and whisper to me something about Santa having the same paper as us. We have him convinced that Santa shops at Costco too.
Santa bought the kids nerf guns. Santa maybe should have thought that one through a little better. Santa keeps getting attacked boys against girls... and unfortunately at this time Isla isn't much help in defense.

A puppy for Isla, and some more guns. Brett was pretty convinced that we all needed a weapon :)

My good friend Arife made this cute monkey crochet hat for Isla. It is really cute, and Isla loves it!!
Present from Uncle Kevin. A FAST hotwheels track.
Christmas morning we had presents and breakfast at my parents, and then my sister hosted dinner. It was a good time spent with my family. Great company, great food. Doesn't get much better.
We also had our annual Live Nativity night with my sister in law Heather and her kids. Sadly we had less people available to come this year, but it is one of our favorite parts and it focuses on the birth of Christ more than anything else we did to celebrate this year. After the live Nativity out in Spruce Grove we go back to Heather's for Thai food. Delicious. Another tradition we are definitely going to continue!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a perfect holiday with lots of family, food and fun. I know we did!!!

December: Done!

We had a busy month, with preschool activities, play dates, birthday parties, working, etc. etc. we had a full calender before we added anything Christmas related. We have really adjusted well to this busy thing. We are thriving on getting out of the house and spending time with new friends.

This winter really isn't much of a winter at all. We have had very little snow but the kids and Brett have been great at taking advantage of whatever amount falls into our yard. I've even been doing the shoveling on the driveway this year. Brett continues to struggle with chronic pain in his hands and forearms so I have taken on the shoveling. It is actually really enjoyable. My very own driveway that I GET to shovel. I'm sure the excitement won't last long especially if we get the same amount of snow as last year, but for now it's fun. The kids are great little helpers too.

Wyatt's new best bud Cohen had his 4th birthday party this month and the whole family was invited. This is my new birthday plan for the next 18 years of my kids lives. Lindsay had a great little party planned with games and treat bags for Wyatt and Isla, and beautiful cake and delicious dinner just for us. After last years crazy kid party, I'm sold on small. It was lots of fun, and the kids didn't want to leave.

That night was also the night of my monthly book club meeting. It has been so great to have a book to read monthly that I don't have to find. It's also a great excuse to get together with some wonderful ladies!!! I love reading!

I worked a little bit more this month, and will hopefully try to work some more in the new year. I just love working in familiar classrooms. Supply teaching really is perfect for my little family right now. It is so nice to get out of the house and do something for me that I love. The little bit of extra income is nice too. I like feeling like I'm contributing :)

We were lucky enough to be invited to another birthday party for JH. He turned 3!!! We toured the Beaumont fire station and the kids were given free rein of the big trucks. What fun! SH also had birthday activities for everyone when we got back to her place. Great decorations, snacks, cake and a punch board with treats behind tissue paper. All these birthday parties we go to really make mine look pathetic. Hopefully Wyatt doesn't notice :)

My fabulous sister in law had a breaking dawn movie party. We had wedding cake, sparkling juice, delicious treats, games (pin the tail on the wolf, pin the teeth on the vampire). It was so much fun, then we finished the night off by going to see the movie. I love nights like this!

Nothing in November

I can't find anything exciting that happened in November. We must have been saving out energy for a busy December. I thought I'd attempt to post some video of Wyatt at the pool with Brett. This is some time recently after successfully completing two levels of unparented swimming lessons. He is so much more comfortable in the water it's amazing!

Now where did I leave off... oh right...Halloween :)

Ok, so with some kind reminders I'm back to my blog. I know you are all so curious as to what I've been up to since October 25 when I last had something important to say. Here is another slew of catch ups for my dear friend SH! (who may very well be one of three people I know read this, one of whom I might add is NOT my husband)

We were dragons for Halloween this year. Two perfectly sweet dragons. Wyatt was a dragon at 16 months, so Isla wore his hand me down and Wyatt wore this years Old Navy model. Old Navy really has great costumes for the 20 something dollars they cost. I have a feeling we'll see at least one more dragon in the next few years.

To celebrate we signed up for a little library Halloween evening, and then on the actual night my sister in law Heather hosted her annual cousin trick or treat extravaganza. I stay in to keep warm and eat A LOT of good appetizer type food, and Brett goes out with the kids. Perfect!

Special Stuff

We had two great family thanksgiving dinners. We went out to Viking Alberta for the first one with the whole Creasy family. It's Brett's grandmother's family and all their families if that makes sense. It is Brett's favorite holiday I think, and I'm sure it's because of the amazing food. Brett was working this year and so I braved single parenthood to go. The food didn't disappoint, but Isla was being Isla. Next year (if I have to go alone again) I'll follow my first instinct and leave her at home. She's in a tough stage of being quite needy, and quite a momma's girl. Can be tough on the momma sometimes.

The other thanksgiving was with my family. Now that we are living in a bigger place, we have decided to alternate hosting family meals. We change locations of our normal sunday dinners, but also the big family events too. This year Thanksgiving was at my house. I'd love to say that I did it all myself, and it turned out perfect. BUT... I'm not ready for all that yet. So... my mom got the turkey all prepared and just cooked it in my oven. I was in charge of basting though :)

It was delicious as always, and leftovers are always a bonus.

I signed myself up for a quiet book exchange with a group of 10 girls. We each made two different pages times 10. What a HUGE undertaking that was. Honestly there were many days I was ready to back out. I'm sure the feeling was mutual among the group... but now that I'm done and have seen the beautiful pages that everyone else worked on. I'm so happy to have been a part. I just have to get my show together and make the pages into a book.

My new friend LP has been such a great influence on my families activity level. Wyatt is pretty thrilled he has a new best friend, and we are glad that our twin families all get along so well. We took a trip to Prairie gardens this last Friday when both husbands were home. What an amazing place. I'd never been before, but will be making it a yearly tradition for sure. We decided to get there early to beat the school buses, but 9am is pretty chilly at this time of year. The little girls fingers were frozen, but neither liked gloves very much. The boys didn't seem to notice the weather and were willing and enthusiastic to try everything available. We went on a wagon ride, petting zoo, puppet show, corn maze and haunted house to name a few. It really is it's own little village out on the farm. I'd highly recommend it!

One last catch up before bed. We got a pet! His name is Kirby and he's a bearded dragon. Anyone that knows Wyatt will know just how happy he is to have a dragon of his very own. He has wanted a pet for a long time. He has had a few fish, but now he's big enough to notice other possibilities. He wanted a hermit crab, then we considered a puppy, a snake etc. etc. We all could agree on this little guy. He's made one little boy very happy. We just have to be careful to wash hands, and we don't take him out when Isla is around because she can be pretty rough. So far so good on the pet front... but ask me again in 11 years (average life expectancy)

What's up with me.

Now for my catch up. Other than chasing around after my kids, I've been doing some things for me lately too. I got back on the supply list for EPS, and LOVE going to work. It is a healthy break for me and I come home feeling very grateful for my kids, my supportive husband and all my blessings. I have great teaching friends who support me and let me teach their classroom full of kids. One actually helped get me back on the list in the first place. She teaches in the west end of the city in an opportunity class. They are the SWEETEST group of teenagers, and she basically asked her principal to call downtown ( to the school board) to tell them I was needed for her class. Amazing! She was my mentor teacher during my IPT at university, and she's been a mentor ever since- I'm sure she didn't realize she'd be stuck with me for so long when she volunteered to have me come work with her 6 years ago :)

I have a new calling in my new ward too. Laurel Advisor. I work with the 16 and 17 year old girls. At first I was totally intimidated, but now we are just buddies. They are beautiful inside and out, and I know I'm going to learn a lot from them. I teach the lesson most Sundays and I am finding that to be the hardest part. I just feel a huge sense of responsibility to get it right. This is a tough age, and these are tough girls, but I want them to feel and learn from me before they are off on their own.

I'm also trying to get to the gym a little bit more. What a lazy summer I've had. My running endurance is suffering badly, and I just wasn't using my gym pass at all. I'm trying to get to the drop in classes I love, and will hopefully find the motivation to use my treadmill for 20 minutes a night when I don't make it to the classes. It's much easier to do when you are in the habit, but getting back there is a tough road.

MAJOR Catch up.

I promise that I've noticed my own lack of blogging lately. I've been terrible at keeping up with the ones I typically read too if that makes it any better. My excuse... no time. That, and I like to go to bed early :)

Since the FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER we have been very busy. My calendar has never been so full with pre-planned activities. Then throw the last minute stuff, work, birthday parties, a new calling etc. etc into the mix and my excuse becomes valid. Nevertheless, I like to have this record, so there needs to be some time that I can squeeze in some blogging. As long as my dear friend SH keeps reminding me... PLEASE ;)

Wyatt has started swimming lessons! And I almost cried the first day when he did a back float with the teacher without the wailing hysterics that I seem to get. Not only that, but he puts his face in the water voluntarily and passed the 6 week class easily. I'm one proud momma. He is signed up for the next level already, and so we'll see how he does. I have high hopes for a little fish soon. We tried to prepare for swimming lessons by taking the kids to the pool weekly as a family, we are definitely not taking it easy on Isla. She will love the water if we have any say. :)

Wyatt goes to english pre-school on Tuesday and Thursdays. I had my heart set on french, but he wanted to try english. So he's signed up with all his little primary friends from the old ward. It is nice to see my mom friends when we drop off and pick up the boy. He is loving it. There is something about his teacher that bugs me, and I can't put my finger on it. Or even express what it is exactly... but as long as he's happy, I'm happy.

We go to the library on Monday mornings for a family story time. Wyatt gets to go with his new best friend, and he's as happy as can be. They haven't noticed yet that they are the oldest in the class by a few years, but who doesn't love listening to stories read. A new session just started this last monday and the new teacher is pretty strict. She obviously doesn't have toddlers of her own, and has fairly unrealistic expectations of the little ones sitting still and quiet for the half hour we are there. After class I get a nice visit, and the kids roam around finding books and movies to borrow.

Wednesday evenings we have Wyatt in the "Let's Play Music" program with Joanna Dick and Lisa LeBaron. It is so fun to hear Wyatt sing and participate in the class, especially since Brett and I are so CLUELESS musically. He has a little homework assignment weekly and honestly I had to cheat today because I had NO IDEA how to help. It is a three year program, and by the end he should be ready for private music lessons. Maybe I'll be ready too :)

Saturdays we are also doing indoor soccer. Wyatt isn't really a fan, and would rather sit on the sidelines... but I'll just continue to be the crazy mom on the sidelines screaming at him run :) He looks so cute in the uniform.

Well writing down what Wyatt's been up to seems a little crazy. I kind of feel that I'm living my childhood vicariously through him because there are a lot of things I wish I had done, or tried harder at. I really wish I had played more team sports, and really wish I had tried harder at piano. He's young, and is loving all the outings he has in the week. It's a VERY nice change from being cooped up at home.

September LOOOOONG weekend.

My brother in law got married this weekend in Southern Alberta. We took the opportunity as a family to head to Drumheller as our first stop on a very long weekend.

We left our house Friday morning and got to the museum at about 12:30pm. We figured we'd spend a solid 2 hours in the museum, but it is actually very quick to walk through. Our little ones weren't interested in the interesting facts printed on the wall. They just wanted to see DINOSAURS. The last time we took Wyatt to the Royal Tyrrell Museum he was two, and the bones were a little too abstract for him. This year he could recognize what each set of fossils was supposed to be. His favorite part of the trip though was the souvenir shop.

When we were finished we picked up some drive through and headed to our hotel in Calgary. We splurged and stayed in a nice hotel with an almost rooftop pool. We let the kids burn off some energy in the pool then got ready for dinner. We met up with M & H at the hotel and had dinner with their family. It was great to hang out with them. My kids just love their boys.

The next day was the wedding in Cardston. 2.5 hours away from the hotel and we had to be there by 9:30. None of us slept well, and at 4:30 I figured I'd just get up and start getting ready. 6:15 we left the hotel, 8:30 breakfast from the grocery store in Cardston, 9am to the temple... after the ceremony Brett (being the best man) had to stick around for pictures. We couldn't leave without him, so we hung out till 12 when we drove back to Calgary for some more pictures. 2:30- 5ish were more pictures, 5:30 we went to the stake centre to make sure the slideshow I made was ready to go... turns out I needed an adapter to connect my Mac computer to the projector. HEART ATTACK!!! Luckily Jaclyn's uncle is a computer wiz. I ran out to try and buy an adapter at 5:45 before the stores closed at 6, while the uncle tried to copy the slideshow onto his laptop. It did all work out in the end.

Because all the Fixsen boys were in the line, they ate at the head table. The wives were left with the kids to wrangle and feed amongst the other guests. Before the program and dinner had started I was ready to cry and head home. Isla was just a monster all day and night. Needed to be carried, and very sad. Brett finished his food and took her for a little walk, which saved my night. Once I had eaten I felt like I could handle the rest of the night. ( Consider how little sleep we've all had- it was a recipe for disaster)

The kids had a little part in the program- singing " You Are My Sunshine" It was super cute, and so nice to see all the cousins together.

We got the kids back to the hotel by 10, and Brett headed back to help clean up. What a day.

It was a beautiful wedding and reception. Jaclyn's family had every detail covered... ( they had even packed bag lunches with HOMEMADE cheese buns for everyone for the drive back to Calgary) The MC's were hilarious and Jaclyn's little cousins performed this great skit about how the couple got together. So funny. Brett gave a toast to the groom that we had come up with that turned out well too.

We are so happy to have Jaclyn join the Fixsen's. She is perfect for Cody and fit's just right!

Family Photos

We were so lucky to have Kamry take our photos this year!!! I am so impressed, and she was so professional with movies for the kids incase they needed a distraction, toys so they looked the right way, an assistant AND she had gone to the site a few days earlier to check out the lighting and to ask the owners of the property if we could trespass. It was a beautiful night, and some of the sweetest pictures of my kids I've ever seen. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Isla was being difficult, and had very few smiles for Kamry. I LOVE this one though.

This is my favorite, and the very first one!

What a handsome man!
My sweet girl!
I risked it and got my hair cut the day of pictures. Afterwards I realized that may not have been a great idea. If I hated it, I would still have these pictures on my wall all year... or would have wasted the generous offer of Kamry to take these pics of us. It all turned out alright!
This must be the BEST picture of my husband I've seen. He has very sensitive eyes, and so tends to have sunglasses on in pictures, or is squinty. Such handsome men!
I always feel weird just having pictures of Brett and I now that we have kids. But I love how this one turned out. There are a couple funny ones, and Kamry was probably laughing editing some of them- " you want me to kiss her hair?" Brett wasn't too into the posing. Reminded me of our wedding photos.

Thank you so much Kamry for sharing your talent with us. You say you are a beginner, but I think you have serious talent and skills. Keep it up, because I think photography comes very naturally to you!

Telus World of Science

(My kids posing for a nice picture on Sesame Street)

My sister was taking her family to the science center, and I had heard great things about it- so I invited myself and my two little crazies along. Then I invited a friend and her children along too so I wasn't crashing a family outing.

ANYWAY, it was GREAT! Wyatt loved all the hands on activities. They had a special Sesame Street exhibit there that was so well done! We even saw a star show! I haven't taken my kids to the science centre much because a lot of it demands a lot of reading, and is way over their heads... I seem to forget that there is so much that is pre-school focused and that my pre-schooler and his toddler sister could find hours of entertainment in a water table, blocks and a star show.

Mr. Hoopers store.

Isla digesting some peas.

Grovers obstacle course.

Hand pedaling.

We had a great time. There were some crazy moments where I couldn't keep track of both kids wandering around checking out individual interests. Definitely a place to go back to- especially since there should be a new traveling exhibit in the near future.

House pictures.

For those who care...

Above- Kitchen/ dining table
From table towards kitchen
From Staircase towards living room. (I'm pretty proud of those pictures. #1- Totally my idea #2 They are straight #3- I love the way they turned out) BIG thanks to 3M picture hanging strips. Worth the few dollars extra they cost than a nail. TRUST ME!! All the other pictures I hung seem to have been missed in the pictures I took. The house is bare, just not as bare as it seems :)

Main floor half bath

Boot room/ laundry- door goes out to garage

Bonus room. Kids LOVE to sit on the back of the couch to look out the window for daddy coming home.
Master Bath
Kids bathroom
Wyatt's room

I totally forgot to take these pictures the first time, and then I was mid- post and didn't want to tidy up. This is our favorite part of the house. It's the kid's space. We have a couple big area rugs, a couple great big bean bag chairs. A desk for Wyatt's drawings and crafts. All the toys and books. The mess stays in one place, it's nice a cool down there and we can hang out for a long time down there while Brett sleeps during the days etc.

This is our little work out corner. The treadmill came with the house, and then Brett installed the chin up bar so we could do P90X properly. We haven't been as good as planned, but at least it's there. We even put a tv on the wall that swivels with a DVD player. It's a great little set up.

Anyway, we love our house. Thanks for joining me for the tour. Better yet, come visit!!! We had our first sleepover house guests EVER last weekend. If felt really good to have space to put them.