Day 4- San Diego Zoo

We did A LOT of walking over the 12 days we were gone. On day 3 we went outlet shopping. It was a little disappointing. I had big dreams of big deals, and barely being able to fit our finds into our suitcases, but shopping with two young kids is just not that fun.

These boys got along so well! They are so much alike as well, some of the things that Jonah would say I could hear coming out of Wyatt's mouth.

It is a HUGE zoo. The map was a little daunting, and they didn't have a really smart way to see the whole thing, but in the 8 hours we were there we ended up seeing the whole thing. On the drive there I asked Wyatt what he wanted to see the most, he said the Tiger... So at the end of the day, even though Isla and I were DONE, we made one last trek to find the tiger. We got up to the 'cage' and he was way up in the top and we could only see his head. Such a disappointment!

Wyatt making sure we didn't miss the Alligators, and the tiger.

We were very happy that Isla became a good little napper in the bjorn. She was a trooper!

We were picture crazy for a lot of the trip. Brett held one and I held one. We ended up with a lot of pictures, but even looking at them now it seems like the whole vacation was a dream.

Feeding on the run, we were quite the pair her and I.

The zoo was a great day, but on the way home we asked Wyatt his favorite part... he said he enjoyed his little nap the best. These places were great, but not really for my boy. He was into the interaction aspect of the trip, so I couldn't wait to get to Disney.

Day 2- Sea World

When we decided to go on a family vacation we decided on the Southern California City Pass. It includes a day a Sea World, a day at the Zoo, Universal Studios and 3 Disney days. It was a great choice for our first trip to California, but we may skip out on the non-Disney stuff next time. Wyatt wasn't overly interested, and it made for a VERY packed trip.

We LUCKED out and were able to travel with the Chiu family. They have two kids very close in age to ours, and are just a wonderful little family to spend time with. I can't imagine a better choice. We were comfortable enough to tag along, but we were all aware that it was just fine to have some family time as well. The reason it is wonderful to travel with another family when you have really young kids is... you can trade off for rides. We were all able to go on all the rides and attractions we were interested in, and always had a companion to go with. PERFECT!

Isla was a great little vacationeer. She didn't like the stroller as much as I had hoped she would, but it turned out that Wyatt needed it more than we expected. Isla and I spend a lot of time together- her in the bjorn and me toting her around. Wyatt and his dad did a lot of fun things together too. Sea World has this great climbing area, and park. Brett was right in there on everything he could stomach. We knew before we went that Brett and I were no longer very good with rides, but we survived better than expected, and traded off riding when necessary. What a team!

The shamu show was amazing. A LOT of splashing (I don't think the trainers are allowed in the water anymore) but it was very neat to see.

A LONG day, but fun! The kids were exhausted every day of our trip. It was busy!

San Diego- Day 1

I was trying to upload a bunch of pictures, but it isn't working very well... so I'm going to post more entries with less photos each, and hopefully that will fix the glitch. I've been procrastinating these posts because it's such a pain to upload pictures, but what is a holiday without sharing some of the 1000 pics we took.

Kids on a plane! They were such great travelers. They were entertained by movies and games on the Ipad, or sleeping. Wyatt was a little bit nervous during take off- he said his tummy felt nervous. We held hands and it was over before he knew it. He slept during descent and that was perfect. (Descent is my least favorite part- I puked for the first time on a plane during our descent into New York. Most embarrassing moment of my LIFE- so far)

We flew into LA and had to drive a few hours to our hotel in San Diego. This was our first stop on the trip. Isla had had enough, so we took a quick stop for some fresh air and to stretch our legs. We were very excited to see the ocean, and NO SNOW!

That evening before bed we took a quick dip in the hot tub. It was a wonderful first day.

pictures

Visiting Aunt Willi's restaurant. They make the BEST breakfast ever. Perfect eggs and crispy bacon every time. Delicious.
Waiting for some food. Isla is the BEST eater. I nice change from her brother who happens to be the pickiest person on the planet.
Cute, Cute, Cute. I feel guilty because even though we have ALOT of pictures of Isla, we have a lot less than we have of Wyatt when he was a baby. Picture taking has slowed down in general, but I want to make an effort to take more.
Clean from the bath. What a beauty.
My parents and their grand babies. We are lucky to have them so close.

A monthly occurance

Wow, this year is flying by. I feel like I just caught up on the blog... and another month has past.

January was a great start to the year. It always feels good to start fresh, make big plans, and reflect on what has happened.

Every year Brett makes the big announcement that it's time to sit down and make some goals. For some reason I think I escaped this year though because thinking about it now I can't remember the things we've decided to work on. (could be due to lack of sleep lately) Our goals seem to remain the same every year though. Work out, save money, be good etc. etc.

The year/ month was kick started with the resolution run! It was so great to do my first fun race. The weather was perfect, the company couldn't have been better, and it was fun to finish. Definitely put me in the mood to sign up for other races, as well as keep running.

Brett and I have been working, (him definitely more than I) but it is great when I get the chance to go and teach. He is a SUPER dad when he's home with the kids, and it's an enjoyable experience to go out to work when I know the kids are having such a great time with their dad. Brett is the most supportive husband, and we are really getting into the grove of being a team lately. It feels good.

The most exciting news of the year so far is our upcoming trip to disneyland. We are lucky enough to get to travel with some good friends the Chiu's who have children of similar ages, and who we get along with too. I think it's going to be FANTASTIC. We are leaving for 11 nights and will spend the first 6 in San Diego seeing the beach, the zoo and sea world- and most importantly shopping. Then we'll head to Anaheim for the last part of our trip for some serious Disney time. Wyatt and I have a paper chain for a count down and it is really coming quick.

We spent last weekend in Airdrie to visit Clay and Julia and the kids. We hadn't meant their newest baby James, and we were lucky enough to be around for his blessing day. It is always a great time when we visit. Wyatt plays so well with the girls, and we all have a big slumber party. It was nice to go even for a few days away.

We have been trying to sleep train Isla for the past couple weeks and we are having some success. We can now lay her down for nap and bed time and she will only cry for a couple minutes before putting herself to sleep. Next step is getting her to sleep through the night after she gets to sleep. We are still working on that, but may have to wait till we get back from California before we do anything really serious.

Well I'll try to write again before it becomes another month of catch up, but there are no promises. It always seems daunting to blog and write, along with uploading pictures, but once I finally sit down and get it done it's no big deal.

Christmas

Who wouldn't have the very best Christmas with these two cuties!! What a December we had, so busy but so much fun!

In between BJ and I working throughout the month, we also squeezed in the following...

Dec. 4- Suncor kids Christmas party- it was held at the Telus World of Science. I went with the kids and my MIL because BJ had to work. It was lots of fun with a hotdog lunch, presents for the kids, and Imax movie and then access to the normal Science centre stuff. It was great because the company is so big, I could go with the kids and just blend in without feeling out of place because the Suncor employee wasn't with us. I think we'll do that again next year!

Dec. 8- Chantal and I hosted a baby shower for Melanie and her new baby boy. It was a pretty good turn out for a busy month and we were able to help celebrate her new addition. I was happy Chantal helped host it with me because I'm totally not a party planner.

(Dean and IA after the shower- both ready to go home to bed )

9th was our Relief Society Christmas party. We were fed very well (Dogan's Lemon Chicken is one of my FAVORITE FOODS in the world) and the musical numbers were beautiful. Makes me wish I had some kind of musical talent, but I definitely appreciate that of others.

10th- Our ward Christmas party. Fun to socialize- first Turkey dinner of the season. I cooked a HUGE bag of potatoes and mashed/ whipped them. I make a mean mashed potato!

11th- Fixsen Family Christmas. Turkey dinner #2- It was so nice to have the WHOLE family together. We have become quite the bunch, but all the kids get along so well, and the brothers and their wifes are all dear friends it is definitely a highlight of the year when we get to spend time together.

(People tell us that IA looks just like BJ- there are times when I can see it but I'd like to think she looks like me!)

(The Fixsen parents)

14th- We went with our dear friends the Dogan's to the Leg. to look at the lights. It was a beautifully mild winter evening and the lights were beautiful. I love how kids are just amazed my Christmas lights. They even allow you inside for hot chocolate and live entertainment.

(Chubby, rosy cheeks- can't get much cuter)

(These boys get along so well- all boy- rough and tumble but they are going to continue to be dear friends)

15th- WW had his preschool Christmas concert. SO cute I wanted to cry. All the songs were in french, but their little actions and them belting out the few words they knew got the message across perfectly. My little guy is growing up!

Only downside of the concert was the -20+ weather outside, not opening the doors till 6:10pm on the dot (pretty crazy) and all the parents and their toddlers freezing outside waiting to be let in. I'm so glad I left Isla at home because BJ would have be furious if our infant was turned into a babysicle like some of the other screaming babies waiting in line.

(I teared up when they all walked out and got on stage. He was so brave- 300 people were watching)

17th- WW's preschool Christmas party- I volunteered and enjoyed a morning of preschool fun. It's nice to be a mostly stay at home parent in order to be able to participate in such things.

( I snuck this one in so you could see the beautiful "bitty baby" IA got for Christmas. I've wanted one since I saw them at the American Girl Doll Place in New York)

18th- Suncor Adult Christmas party- Turkey dinner #3- BJ is an Operator at the refinery, and the Operators typically don't attend such functions where the "big guys" party. This year we decided to go along with a couple other guys from BJ's crew. It was a great night out just the two of us, fun company and we even danced a little bit. I have been trying to think back over the past 5+ years of marriage and I don't think BJ and I have danced a slow song ever as a married couple. CRAZY. It was fun. We even danced some fast songs and looked silly, but as long as we look silly together- Right? It was a good night. We don't get out as a couple very much anymore. We have a new years resolution to go on a date once a month this next year, that will be a good start.

23rd- Annual Live Nativity and Thai food night. We started this last year and it was top of the list to add to the calendar this year. We all go out to Spruce Grove to watch the live nativity- (live animals and everything) and then back to Mike and Heather's for Thai Food from the King and I. DELICIOUS!!!

(Grandpa and Edward snuggling after the busy night)

24th- Christmas Eve we are going to start spending alone as a small Fixsen unit. We were lucky to see our dear friends Anita and Greg who were home visiting family for the holidays. It was nice to catch up for a few hours and we look forward to sometime soon when we can go visit them in Ottawa. We decided WW needed some lessons on giving instead of getting so we made some nuts and bolts and delivered them to 15 families we thought of (Home teaching/ visiting teaching, family etc. ) It was nice for WW to give the gifts before he got some.

25th- Early morning at our house- BJ and I didn't give gifts to each other this year because we tend to go overboard all year- but even though I had nothing to open under our tree I still couldn't sleep. I ended up waking WW up and getting the party started. He was pretty excited to see what Santa brought him and was very willing to help IA open all her gifts too. After our place we went to my parents for stocking and presents. We ended up spending the day there, my brother was up from Calgary and my kids had a great time bonding with Uncle Kevy- We miss him a lot now that he lives away, so we try to make the best of the time we can see him.

Dinner Turkey #4 was DELICIOUS as usual. There is nothing better than the Turkey, gravy, stuffing etc that you are most familiar with- Mom's!!!

30th- BJ and I went on our first date (tried to beat the New Years rush but still ended up waiting over an hour for a table) Out to the KEG one of our very favorite restaurants (probably because we get gift cards from work :) ) It was delicious, great food, great company, great evening. I can't wait for the rest of our dates this next year!!!

Slacker

I have been such a lazy blogger lately. I still enjoy reading others, and hope there is someone out there that is reading mine along with my dear friend SH.

These beautiful babies are keeping me busy lately. IA is growing so fast, and had the most perfect chubby checks and thunder thighs. She is a great eater, and a pretty good sleeper. She got sick when she was 3 months, and it lasted for the next two. I'm not even exaggerating, poor little thing just couldn't kick the cold. It never got worse than a cold, but a stuffy nosed baby is one of the saddest things. She is naturally a very content baby, so she remained her happy self through it all.
WW just adores his sister, and the feeling is definitely mutual. They love to spend time together, and IA is immediately happy whenever he comes into the room. I really hope that this continues as they get older. I feel like I'm way closer to my siblings now than I ever have been, I wish we had always been this close.
I'm just catching up here randomly. The above is my best bud SH making chocolates with me. My ward had a super saturday and this was my suggestion. I've always wanted to learn, if only I had known how much work it is. It truly is an art. It may be years before I have the time and patience to really try this again.
Halloween has come and gone and these are my sweet babies in their costumes, I should dress IA up again to get a better picture. She was a cute flower, and WW was a caterpillar. Thanks to my sister and her last minute costume save. I had planned for WW to be a dinosaur again, but two nights before his preschool party we decided we maybe should dig out the costume and try it on and it was WAY too small. We searched all the next day for something great, and came up with a borrowed costume that he adored.

Sherwood Park has this great new library. We love books and going to the library. This is our first visit as a family. IA loved it. WW always loved books as a baby, hopefully IA will have the same love.
IA tried rice cereal a couple days ago. She loves to eat, and she happily transferred to the semi-solid variety. She has been super interested in what we are eating, so we took the leap. It was a couple weeks earlier than suggested, but we started WW early and he turned out great!
Look how big this girl is getting. I love all her Sunday dresses. I should try and take a picture each week, because at this rate she will only get to wear each one once. She grows fast, plus she has soo many beautiful ones to chose from.
I somehow lost WW winter coat. So we went out and bought a new one with trendy little boots to match. I love how cute he looks, plus it's keeping him warm during these freezing Alberta days.
Speaking of freezing days, above is a fort WW and I made during a minus 30 day. Something out of the ordinary to break up a home day. He loved it.
These next two are pics of our dear family friend's babies. IA and TD are only a couple months apart in age and will hopefully be close friends. BJ and I just love this family. It's not easy finding couple friends when you are married. We just love spending time together, our kids are close in age, and they make the best food!!
Well I'm randomly caught up for now. We are getting all ready for Christmas and have a busy month ahead. Should be fun as a little family of 4. We got the tree up today, but that will have to be another post. IA is teething and needs some attention:)