Spring Break!

Spring Break 2014 started out with a lot of hard work and ended with a lot of play :)

But I will back peddle to the Saturday before Spring Break and Blake's hockey wind-up party.  Our team manager planned an afternoon of floor hockey, cake and celebration at the ACT Centre.  The kids had a blast playing floor hockey and soccer in the gym!  After spending a few hours together, every weekend over the past 7 months, we will miss this group of people.  Blake has formed some awesome friendships with his teammates.  We'll keep up the play dates and a few of them are going to play in a street hockey tournament together!  Cal received a nice card and gift card from the team and enjoyed handing out certificates and pins to all the players.  Another great hockey season is in the books!

Our new carpet was installed the Tuesday of Spring Break, so Cal and I spent all day Monday moving our family room and 3 bedrooms into the front room and basement.  The kids were so good, thank goodness for iPad's!  Sometimes an abundance of screen time is just necessary!!!  And since they don't get a whole lot, when they get free reign, they are very occupied!!  Monday afternoon we headed to my parents house to spend a few nights.  The kids were super excited to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's, although disappointed that G&G weren't home!  Cal and I laughed that 2 nights in Stony Plain was their Spring Break vacation and found it quite cute (& hilarious) that they were so excited to pack their suitcases and stay only 45 minutes away from home!!  I often say, and I'm not joking, with our kids it really is the little things ... and I love that!

Cal drove back to the house to let the carpet installers in on Tuesday morning.  He worked most of Tuesday and monitored the workers.  They were done around 9 pm.

Lindsay and the boys came to visit the kids and I on Tuesday and after witnessing the abundance of energy amongst the four oldest children, we made a quick decision to take them to the Tri Leisure Centre in Spruce Grove to hopefully burn off some of that energy!!  They had fun in the gymnasium and in the play gym and were all excited to get a Booster Juice ;)  Before supper we went on a nice walk and let them burn off some more energy!  Supper was followed by bath's!  It was a great day!

Wednesday morning we packed up, cleaned up (note to Mom & Dad: I really tried to leave the house as we found it!!!) and headed home to check out our new carpet.  I was so excited to see it and I was not disappointed!  It looks so good (although a touch darker than I had anticipated)!  No more yucky, old carpet.  Now the challenge is to keep this carpet in good condition ... and that will involve protecting it from Heidi and Jazz' snags and scratches and accidents more than policing the kids!!!  We promptly trimmed Jazz' nails as soon as we got home!   Wednesday was a long day, trying to get the beds back together (bunk bed assembly = a royal PITA!!!) and the house somewhat back together.  The play room is still a mess and needs to be better organized, but we've closed that door and will get to it one day!!  It was great to get everything somewhat organized and dusted and back to normal before our bedtime!  We were completely wiped out!

Thursday was another date with Lindsay and the boys (LOVING being able to see them so often!!)!  1st lunch at Olive Garden (which was delicious but busy as we juggled 5 busy kids (3 which kept us busier than the other 2)!!), 2nd stop was Build-A-Bear!!  It was Connor's turn to build a bear for his 2nd birthday present from Cal, the kids and I :)  At first Connor seemed smitten with a sparkly, sort of 'girlie' bunny so we showed him another more gender neutral bunny and he grabbed it!  Not that a boy can't have a sparkly, pretty teddy bear but as I explained to Blake when he asked why we didn't get him the sparkly bunny, we'd like Connor to continue to enjoy his stuffie even when he's a bit older and maybe when he's older he wouldn't like the sparkles!!  Blake was satisfied with that answer!  Connor's bunny, a.k.a. Tommy, is sporting a hoodie and is pretty cute!  Lindsay says Tommy has slept with Connor and been drug around the house!  We're happy to know Tommy is being properly loved :)  I told the kids they could pick something out for their bears once Connor had finished making his bear, but of course they couldn't wait and were piling the items up as Connor and I built his bear!!  In the end Sam (Blake's bear) got a new t-shirt and a hockey stick and puck, Honey Bear (Emerson's bear) got a new sleeping bag and a brush and Rosie (Reese's bear) got a tutu-type dress!

Friday brought a lot of excitement, as we had a long-standing play date scheduled at a school friend's house!  The kids could not wait to go to Max and Ava's!!  When we got to the house, all the kids were screaming and jumping up and down and hugging.  So funny!!  The other Mom's and I always joke that every time they see each other, it's as if they haven't seen each other in 6 months and every time they say goodbye to each other, it's as if they won't see each other for another 6 months!  Too cute!  We had a great time, they all play so well together :)  We were there for 5 hours and it felt like 1.

Saturday was BLANK on our calendar.  This is very, very rare.  Never happens!  I don't know the last time we had absolutely no obligations or plans made!  It was soooo nice!  We made a Costco run, had lunch out and played outside for hours.  Some of the neighbourhood kids were out and they all rode bikes together and played street hockey in our driveway.  It was very nice :)

Sunday was fairly low-key with Church and a visit in the afternoon from the Stecyk's.  Blake passed on his train table to Connor.  He was hesitant but I did not tell him he was giving the table to Connor, I said he was lending it to Connor and I also mentioned that although he loves his trains, he does not play with the train table but that I thought that he and Connor would really love playing trains at Connor's house when we visit :)  Blake took that in, processed it and agreed :) 

All in all it was a busy Spring Break but we had a wonderful time and found it too short!

May and June are shaping up to be insanely busy (and I will likely be insane by the end of June!)! This is why (other than school of course):

Monday - Emerson has dance and soccer

Tuesday - Blake has soccer

Wednesday - Emerson has soccer

Thursday - Blake has soccer

Friday - Reese and Emerson have swimming lesson's

Saturday - Blake has ball hockey and soccer practice

Sunday - Church and hopefully nothing else!!

Our kids are always in bed by 7 and with soccer from 6 to 7, they will be in bed later.  I am praying they will adjust to this but know that they do not do well with late bedtimes :(  Which is normally a-okay with us, in fact we prefer them to get a solid 11-12 hrs of sleep nightly, but Blake and Emerson realllllly wanted to play soccer!  So ... we will see how it goes!  Maybe they'll start sleeping in a little later?!  Although we need to be out the door at 8 so they really can't sleep in too much later!!

Throw in a dance competition, a dance recital, 2 soccer tournament's and 1 street hockey tournament into the weekend time and that is our May and June in a nutshell!  I am realllly looking forward to camping and relaxing on May long weekend and I have a feeling I will be happy to see the end of June!

Joking aside, I do look forward to enjoying Blake and Em's enthusiasm for soccer.  I can not wait for Em's dance comp and recital and both Em and Reese are extremely excited for swimming! Blake is pumped for ball hockey, the more hockey the better for that boy and the Play On street hockey tournament at WEM is going to be awesome.  We have scheduled ourselves to be this busy, so I will not complain ... ;)  Cal is broadening his horizon's and adding to his coaching resume ... yes, he's coaching BOTH Blake and Emerson's soccer teams!  What a guy, we're so lucky :) :)  He's enrolled in a coaches clinic at the end of April and is going to ask a friend of his who is from El Salvador and is a fantastic soccer player, to come show the kids a thing or two!  Cal's coaching both teams with a friend (Dad of one of Blake's classmates) and I know the two of them will have a great time, as will both teams!

It looks as though my short Spring Break post has turned into a long rambling post, so I will sign off ;)  We hope you also enjoyed your Spring Break and are getting back into the swing of 'routine'!

xo

Tracy

Playing catch up ...

I feel like a dog chasing my tail most days ... not a visual I like but a fitting analogy none-the-less!!

March is nearly over and it's been a great month!  Actually, I'll go back to the end of February and teacher's convention.  Blake and I hit Sundridge on the Thursday for a day of skiing/snowboarding with friends.  Blake sure loves snowboarding and I enjoy having an excuse to ski ;)  The morning started out quite warm but it soon took a turn for the worse!  The wind was soooo cold.  It was a good thing Blake and I both had balaclava's on!  Blake didn't want to go in to warm up, no matter what!  He rode that bunny hill until the second we had to leave!!!  I'm glad we got out on teacher's convention, as his school trip that was planned for March 19th was cancelled due to warm weather (which I'm chuckling about now, as we are once again below zero and there's a fresh layer of snow on the ground!!  Good 'ol AB weather!!).  On Friday I had a Cameron's Closet meet, so the 3 kids got to come along for the ride!  They really don't mind and it is a lot easier to bring them along now vs. 3 years ago when I began this venture!  After the meets we went to the Tamminga's house for a play date.  Blake and Bradley are best of friends but rarely get to see each other, so it was great for them to spend the afternoon together.  

March has brought many other exciting events:

- all 3 kids had another sleepover at G&G D's, while Cal and I celebrated a friends 40th birthday.  They had a blast, as did we!

- we registered Reese for preschool, starting in September!  M/W/F a.m.  She's excited and more than ready!

- my sister and family moved to Edmonton (so, so, so exciting, I can't even put into words how happy I am about this move!!)

- we finally got to meet our new nephew Mason and the kids got to meet their new cousin!  They were very, very excited to meet Mason and hold him :)

- my parents headed south with their 5th wheel for their annual spring vacation, we miss them already!

- Blake and the Bobcats participated in the Timbits tournament on the 15th and 16th.  It was a fun weekend, spent at the rink with teammates and friends.  We all enjoyed a team lunch at BP's and 3 well-played games!  I'm very proud of all the kids on the team, everyone has improved immensely!  I'm most especially proud of my boys.  I'm really looking forward to Novice next year!  Bring on the competition ;)  Not keeping score was okay for a bit but I'm ready to get into full-on hockey Mom mode ... where's my cow bell?!  Ha ha ha!

- I accompanied Em and her preschool to the Muttart for a field trip.  It was a fantastic morning!  The most exciting part was when the kids all got to release a ladybug!  Such a fun field trip and very educational :)

- Blake's second report card of the year was fabulous and his Demo of Learning even more fabulous!!  We're so proud of Blake and his eagerness for learning.  He is a great student and classmate.

- and last, but not least, WE'RE GETTING NEW CARPET!!  Okay, I'm just a little bit excited ... but seriously, get this old, gross carpet outta my house.  Can't wait to see the new carpet in and breathe a sigh of relief ;)

We're looking forward to the remainder of March and patiently waiting for the Spring-like weather to return ... 

xo

Tracy

Thank you Bethany!!

Our babysitter is graduating from the U of A this Spring with her Master's of Occupational Therapy.  She will be moving back to SK to complete her placements and pursue work.  We've been so blessed to have Bethany babysit our munchkins during the last two years! They absolutely love her and she is the first person outside our immediate family that we have trusted to do the whole supper, bedtime routine.  She will be very hard to replace :(  Last night was her last night with us, before she moves on the 17th.  Thankfully Bethany is my Dad's cousins daughter, so related down the line, and we will see her at our Smith family reunions.  She also promises to call if she comes to visit friends in Edmonton!  The kids really do love her and have so much fun with her!  They will really miss her and so will we!!

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Proud Hockey Mom!

I am always proud of Blake and how he gives 110% during hockey practices and games but today he stepped it up another level - 150%!!!

His perseverance, determination and commitment to the game was unreal!  Whether it was his turn to play goalie or he was playing out - he was giving it his all plus more!  Skating so hard, chasing the puck, making great passes to his teammates, it was just awesome!  I'm a little extra proud of him today.  I love hockey and of course, we know Cal and Blake love hockey!  I've struggled some what with Blake's abundance of love for hockey.  I want him to try other sports, try other activities and be well-rounded.  But as long as he continues to do well in school, tries other sports and activities and puts as much, or more, effort into his school work, I won't complain.  I have no problem with the cost involved with hockey or the time commitment.  I do have some problems with the politics involved but I think a lesson can be learned from all of the above - for both kids and adults!

The Bobcats have one more game and practice this weekend and then the year end Timbits tourney.  Next up, soccer!  Both Blake and Em's first time playing organized soccer!  Blake plays soccer ever recess and absolutely looooves the game and Em really wants to play, so I'm looking forward to watching them learn more of the skills and rules of the game!

~ Tracy  

Smarty Pants ;)

Blake told me tonight at bedtime, "I watched the entire Scooby Doo DVD today!  There was 3 episodes, 23 minutes each.  That's (pause) 69 minutes!" #smartypants #proudmom #Idon'tthinkthatisgradeonelevelmath ?!

Earlier today, Emerson surprised me when she started counting by 10!  From 10 all the way to 90 :)  Again ... #smartypants #proudmom

Reese, like B & E, is a little sponge!  She started attending Sunday School when she turned 3 in November and soaks up every word!  2 weeks ago the lesson was about how Jesus is a teacher.  The following Tuesday, she wakes up and the first thing she says is, "Momma?  Jesus is a teacher!"  She recognizes letters, numbers, shapes, colors, and most often I am surprised ... and proud!!  Another #smartypants ;)

~ Tracy

Happy 5th Birthday Em the gem :)

Emerson, brand new :)

Emerson turned 5 years old on the 16th!!  I hate repeating myself, but honestly, where does the time go?!  I can not believe Em is 5!  We had a wonderful day on her birthday :)  

Morning of her 5th birthday, playing with new presents!

The morning started with opening gifts from Blake, Reese, Cal and I.  Followed by cinnamon buns for breakfast and a few games of UNO before leaving for her birthday party at Michael's craft store!  The party at Michael's was awesome!!  All the kids had a great time and so did I ;)  We had 1 staff member who helped us and helped lead the craft (a painted/decorated picture frame).  I will definitely book another party at Michael's, if the birthday person requests it!  Emerson loved having her friends, 2 of her cousins and her siblings with her on her special day!  She had a smile from ear to ear and was really cute and kind of shy during the singing of Happy Birthday!  The party was 'Frozen' themed, with Frozen invitations, a Frozen birthday banner, Anna and Elsa as the table centre piece and Frozen themed loot bag!  I also had an Elsa barrette made for Em's hair - it was so cute!  That evening we went out for supper with Grandma and Grandpa D, celebrating Emerson, Grandma and Cal's February birthdays!  Again, Em was shy while the BP's staff sang happy birthday to her but the grin on her face was huge and adorable!  Em loved all of her gifts and birthday wishes.

At Em's birthday party - all the kiddo's with their creations ;)

Thank you so much to everyone who wished our special 5 year old a happy birthday, her day was wonderful :)

At Em's party!

To our dear Emerson - Happy 5th Birthday sweetheart!!  We love you so very, very much.  You brighten our days with your hugs, adorable smiles, infectious giggles and kind heart.  You are a wonderful, smart, charismatic, happy girl!  You are my little helper, always ready and willing to help me with housework and anything else!  I love how I don't have to tell you to do anything twice ;)  I think we are 2 peas in a pod - I recognize how similar we are and at times that leads to some *ahem* conflict between the 2 of us ;)  You seem so grown up at times, always wanting to play with makeup, for example!  You don't have much time for toys, you're more interesting in crafting, learning, baking, reading, dancing, playing games (your new fave is Monopoly Jr and UNO!), helping around the house and playing imagination-type games (camping is a favorite!)!  You thrive in Preschool, always have your hand up to answer a question!  You're a great friend and classmate and I hear so much praise from your teachers, it makes your Dad and I soooooo proud to be your parents :)  

You are so excited to play soccer this Spring and really miss your swimming lessons!  Don't worry, we'll start swimming again soon!  You love to dance and are excited for your 1st competition and your year-end rehearsal.  We love you to the moon and back Em and can't wait to see what your 5th year brings!!  xoxo

~ Tracy

Bed shufflin'

Today the girls and I moved all of Reese's bedroom possessions to Em and Blake's room and all of Blake's possessions to Reese's room (which was Blake's room 1st, then Reese's!).  Em moved to the top bunk, Reese on the bottom and Blake back to the bed that was originally purchased for him in the first room he ever slept in!!

I'm a bit sad ... what's new ... any changes with the kids are usually hard for this ol' sap!  For what seems like forever now, we've had the same bedtime routine.  Cal, Blake and Em read books in their room, I read books and put Reese to bed in her room and then go sing songs to Blake and Em.  I'll miss that routine, most especially Reese jumping into my arms off her ottoman while I sit on her glider!  Kids are such creatures of routine, we all did the exact same thing every night!  Reese would put her teddy and blankie on my right side, the book she chose on my left side, climb up onto the ottoman and jump into my arms!!  So funny!  Then once she was laying down it was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Violets and Rock a Bye Baby.  Then she had to give me a double high five, double pound, she'd 'honk' my nose, I'd 'honk' her nose (this is something Blake started with Reese when she was just a baby!), hug, and finally a kiss!!!!  Then off to B & E's room to sing You Are My Sunshine, Violets and Down in the Valley :)  Followed by hugs and kisses and blowing a million kisses as I walked out the door!!  So funny how these routines develop!  

We've been asking the kids for quite awhile now if they would like to change bedrooms.  Blake has been pretty hesitant to do so but just this week consistently agreed to change bedrooms and we thought we'd better go with it.  Although tonight he was a little sad :s  I don't think he really likes being alone and he and Emerson often talked before falling asleep and in the mornings.  Em said to me today, "But I'll miss Blake.  Now I won't ever be able to talk to him."  I told her that of course she can still talk to him, although I understand that sharing a room was a special time for them and a time when they bonded.  Makes me sad that they will no longer have that time but I'm sure they'll find other opportunities in the days and evenings to bond and chat :)  Now Em and Reese will have that opportunity!  I told Cal that we should knock the wall out between the 2 bedrooms and make 1 giant room, they can all share!!  Only thing stopping me from pursuing this is the fact that one day we may sell this house and I don't think that would be good for re-sale!!  And I guess the cost that might be involved in that no-so-little project!  Ah well, they will all be fine and Mom will be fine too ;)  

They all took a little longer to fall asleep today but were sleeping with in 45 min of bed time.  Now we'll see if Reese wakes Em up or Blake wakes up super early ... I doubt Em will wake up early, that's not really like her!  Blake's our early bird and often woke Em up, so I'm hoping Reese will not wake Em up early!!

We're hoping to buy Blake a loft bed with a desk in the next year or so.  We're eyeing up the one currently at Costco.  Hopefully it's still there when we decided to buy one!  Blake's getting more and more homework as the days go on and he is easily distracted so we often do it on the floor of his bedroom!  A desk would be great, at least for him to sit at, I can still sit on the floor!  Who knows what we'll do when the girls reach the point of bringing homework home, maybe by that time they'll all be able to do it around the kitchen table (that's what I'm hoping for!)!

I told Em she could get some new stickers for the wall by her bunk, so we've been scouring the 'net!  They also want new door signs, which I'm thinking the Easter Bunny might bring!  Oh, and they want new sheets too!!

~ Tracy