Pure Cuteness ;)

At bed time tonight I was sitting in the glider in Reese's room while she played around with her new fan.  She was talking into it, enjoying the way it distorted her voice!  It was really funny but time to get moving on the bedtime routine.  I asked her several times to come over to me.  She would just laugh and run around the room, talk into the fan, etc.  Finally I said, "Reese, please come see Mom.  It's bedtime."  She didn't respond so I said, "One ..." She stopped, looked at me and said, "Twoooo!"  I said, "Three ..." and then she raised her arms in the air and said, "ast off!!!!!"  (blast off) OMG, I almost died!!!  It was SO cute!  So of course we did that a few more times before moving on to bed time ;)

Reese loves her sleep sac's and I recently bought her a lighter weight sleep sac, hoping she could wear it through the summer.  She's been wearing it up until today (sometimes with just her diaper underneath!) but today at nap time there was no way she could wear another layer!  It's usually around 28 degrees in the kids bedrooms on a hot day and today was HOT!  So I layed her down for her nap, placed her favorite blankie beside her and her favorite teddy bear on the other side of her, as usual.  She was very tired and had sleepy eyes, as she looked up at me and said, "eep sac?" Awwwww ... melt my heart!!  She was sad because she didn't have her sleep sac on :(  I told her it was very warm in her room and she would be too hot.  She just looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes and said, "K."  And off she went to sleep.

It is a lot of fun watching Blake, Emerson and Reese play!  They usually play quite well together, although the older two do get frustrated at times because Reese is in the 'mine' stage of life ... everything is hers!  If she wants it, she grabs it and says, "MINE!"  We're working on that ;)  But Blake and Em are always quite accomodating and typically give in to Reese's every whim ... I'm thinking the 'baby' in the family is pretty lucky!!  It is really cool to see Reese joining in Blake and Emerson's games!  I love hearing them giggling and planning and schemeing!  Warms my heart!  We also enjoy joining in their games.  Last week, every day was a tea party/dance party/monster truck party!  Poor Blake is out numbered but he still manages to fit in his trucks/trains/superhero's ;)

Captain Blake Cameron (proud as punch!)!  

Em & Cal peaking up into the fish pond at TWOS!

Reese enjoying TWOS!

We've been enjoying our Canada Day long weekend!  Friday we visited the Telus World of Science for the first time.  We bought a family membership (thank you Telus Employee perks for the great discount!!) and we will be back!!  The kids had a blast visiting the various exhibits and seeing "Born to be Wild" at the IMAX theatre.  This was Blake and Em's first movie theatre experience!  They did well and really enjoyed the film, as did I.  Emerson had a lot of questions.  Her main questions were, "Why did their Mommy die?"  "Why are the baby elephants scared?"  Some interesting conversation ensued!  Blake and Em both really love animals and I think it was a great introduction to the movies :)  I don't think Emerson is ready for the big theatres, though!  She can't sit still for much longer then 30 min!  This film was 45 min.  Blake, Em and Reese's favorite part of the day was definately the Discoveryland area.  Blake already asked to go back today!  It will be the perfect rainy/snowy/retreat from the heat destination!  We enjoyed an early dinner out after our TWOS visit and a bike ride outside!

This morning we visited the St. Albert Farmer's market.  Our main goal was to purchase carrots from Peas on Earth :)  As Blake says, "They're like candy!"  And they really are!  So delicious!!  Nothing compares to an organic, farm-fresh carrot!  Of course you can't leave the market without an assortment of other goodies ... hair accessories for the girls, cheese buns, cookies, roti and curry (NOT for Cal ;)) and raspberry/apple loaf!  Last weekend we loaded up on our favorite chicken from Sunworks Farm!  Once again, nothing compares to organic, free-range chicken :)  If you have a chance, you HAVE TO TRY the rosemary chicken sausages.  SO delicious!!  Just ask Blake ;)  They are his absolute favorite and he often asks if we can have them for supper!  Too bad organic meat is so darn expensive.

After the market the kids and I napped/watched a movie and cooled down inside while Cal ran his 10 miles.  He was smokin' hot when he came home but glad he got it done!  It was then out to the backyard for some sprinkler fun!!  The kids love running through the sprinkler and turning the slide into a slippery slide!  There were many water, watermelon and ice cream breaks in between running around the back yard :)

Tomorrow I am taking Em and Blake to a Canada Day party at a local park.  Cal and Reese will bike over and join us when Reese wakes up from her nap.  Monday is also a day off in our house but I think we'll take it easy and get ready for the busy week ahead!  Blake is in a superhero day camp on Tu, Wed, Th and Fri mornings!  My girlfriend Jodi also has her 2 boys registered in the camp and Blake's preschool buddy Evan is in the camp as well, so Blake is really looking forward to it!  Jodi and I and the girls will probably go for a coffee and hopefully a nice, long walk around Beaumaris Lake while the boys are at camp!

We hope you're enjoying your long weekend and wish you a Happy Canada Day (tomorrow)!

xoxo

Cal, Tracy, Blake, Emerson and Reese  

Goodbye ol' friend ...

Today we said goodbye to our first r.v. :(  I shed a few tears as the new owners pulled her out of our driveway.

Our first camping trip in our very first trailer
May long weekend 2008 @ Cross Lake Provincial Park

So many memories made and good times had in that trailer!  We honestly wanted it to go to a good home (strange maybe, do we have attachment issues?!) and are very happy with the couple who bought it :)  They live near and we've already drove by so Blake could take a look!!

Cal and the kids @ Cross Lake Provincial Park, May long 2012
Our last camping trip with the Silvertip!

Now the hunt is on for a new, more appropriately sized r.v.!  We've waffled back and forth over what floor plan we'd like.  At one point I was almost adamant that we needed a 'bunkhouse' model.  But after talking to the couple who bought ours, we've really realized we don't need to get too crazy!!!  They've tented all their lives (across the world and with their young children) and remarked that their new trailer will be like staying in a 5 star hotel!!  I can not imagine tenting with kids.  I'd love to be 'that person' but it won't happen!  However, as long as we all have a bed (or beds big enough to be shared!) and some floor space in case of a rainy day, I think that is all we need.  So what we're mainly looking for is a model with either triple single bunks or jack and jill bunks with a super slide.  I'd love a u-shaped dinette as well but that is not a must ;)

Hopefully by September we'll be blogging about our new home away from home :)

Tracy

Good bye old friend, enjoy your new home :)

Summer is near!!

I can't believe it has been almost 1 month since my last blog post?!  Wow, that is unlike me!!

Cal and I took Blake to his kindergarten orientation on Tuesday morning.  It was fun seeing him head off with the teacher and some of his new classmates!  He came back excited and bearing a craft :)  He will start kindergarten on September 4th.  The days and hours are M, Tu, W and Fri from 8:22 to 11:20 am.  I am excited for Blake to embark upon this new chapter in his life.  He is more then ready for kindergarten!!!

We also found out that Emerson does not qualify for funding for the 100 Voices preschool program at Ecole Bishop Savaryn.  After her assessment the O.T., P.T. and S.L.P. told me they did not find any areas in which we should be concerned so we were expecting she wouldn't be funded!!  If we were to pay for her to attend, the cost is $300/month.  I think it would have been good for her but the Lago Lindo preschool will also be great!  She will go on Tu and Th from 8:30 to 11:15 am.  I was looking at the class calendar and they have a lot of awesome field trips planned (Mutart, Prairie Gardens, Art Gallery, and more!).  I know she will have a blast, as she LOVES her once a week class that she is attending currently!!!  She is always asking if she has school today and then on Thursday morning she is ready to go early and quite impatient ;)

I am not sure how I will juggle dropping off and picking up Blake and Em ... the schools are approx. a 10 minute drive apart.  But that doesn't take into account parking, walking into the school, etc.  Blake does qualify for free busing (and the bus would pick him up at our door and drop him off at our door!).  We filled out the transportation application and will hopefully hear what the route is like and the pick-up and drop-off times soon!  But if the bus will be picking him up really early, I would prefer to drive him!!

Wednesday was parents day at Blake's swimming lessons and we are very excited to share that he has passed Gliders and is moving on to Divers!!  He's been in Gliders a few times now and was also VERY excited to hear that he's moved on to Divers :)  Divers is all in the deep end of the pool ... with no life jackets ... this worries me but I did see him swim approx. 12 ft in the deep end with no life jacket so I guess he's okay with it?!  He'll start Divers in the fall!

Emerson passed her first lesson after one try but will be in Floaters again in the fall!  Reese will be moving on up to Bubblers, as she is over 18 months now!  Hopefully we can fit her parented lessons into our schedule ... hockey will be Saturdays and Sundays in the fall and Emerson would like to try a dance class (she says Ballet but I'd like her to try Ukrainian dancing, as I Ukrainian danced as a kid and it incorporates ballet!!).

Blake and Emerson had their year end preschool party on Thursday.  It was circus themed and a lot of fun!  They had various circus games and crafts and a pot-luck lunch.  A lot of their friends were there and we all had a great time, Reese included!!  She was dancing around and really enjoyed the popcorn ;)

After the party, we headed to Fort McMurray!  Cal and my Dad left Thursday afternoon for a fishing/quadding trip (more on that later) and my Mom came up with the kids and I on Friday afternoon.  I find the drive very long, not like driving to Calgary or Grande Prairie!  Lots of interruptions on this highway and it seems like people are either driving too fast or too slow!!!  But the company at the end of the drive makes it worth while :)  We stayed at Jeremy and Lindsay's for 3 nights.  We had a good time and got lots of visiting in, visiting my cousins and an Aunt who was visiting from Saskatchewan.  We made a few trips to the park and went swimming at Mac Island, which is an amazing facility!!!  Thank you Lindsay and Connor for allowing us to take over your house ;)  We loved spending time with you and you too Mom!!

Cal, Dad, Jeremy and 4 others embarked on their northern quadding and fishing trip on Friday morning!  They drove approx. 1 1/2 hrs north of Fort McMurray to a staging area where they unloaded the quads and 2 trailers.  From the staging area they quadded approx. 3 hours (@ around 35 km/hr) to Herb lake, where they set up camp.  They fished Herb lake and from there quadded to Jackson Lake, Keith Lake and Six Lakes.  When Cal was heading back to Fort McMurray and had cell service again, I texted him and asked how the trip was.  In his words, "Pretty cool - lots of quadding, a little fishing and good company!"  I'm so glad he had a great time, he deserves some fun and a break from the 'real world' ;)  We missed him like crazy though!!!  The kids were super excited to see him and mauled him for awhile when he walked in the door :)

This week is the last week of preschool and I'm actually quite excited!!  I can't wait for school and swimming lessons to be over!  I look forward to fun play dates, visit's to the park, bike rides, visiting the zoo, spending time with Cal on his week days off and just going with the flow :)  No need to be out the door at a certain time!!!  And I'll be taking most of July and some of August off of Cameron's Closet, which will be really nice!  I'll still have to do the odd thing but not near as much time will be spent on it!

The kids are doing well!  Reese continues to chat away and learn new words every day :)  She's a smart little cookie too and SUCH a parrot!  Emerson had to stop on the side of the road for a bathroom break today, on route home from Fort McMurray.  We had the van door open, helping Em and Reese pipes up, "Pee!!  Pee!!!"  Cal asked her, "Do you have to go pee, Reese?"  To which she replied (and grabbed her diaper at the same time!), "Uh huh!"  LOL!  It was soooo funny!!!!

Have a great week :)

xo
Tracy

Happy Monday!

Em the gem:
Emerson is always coming up with something entertaining!!  We were outside today and she looked up at the hanging basket we have hanging from our eaves trough.  She said, "We have to water these plants Mom!"  I said, "Yes we do Em!  I keep forgetting about them and I think the flowers are dying!"  She said, "Yep they are!  They're all looking down, like this (as she rounds her shoulders forward and hangs her head)!!!"  It was so cute!!

Cal told the kids he would take them to the park after work today but little did he know, he would wake up with no voice, a cough and a really sore throat :(  I took them to the park this morning and told them that Dad was not feeling well so we should let him rest when he comes home.  Em said, "Oh yeah, that's a good idea.  He needs lots and lots of sleep.  He should sleep in, then he'd feel better!"  Apparently we tell them they need a lot of sleep to feel better ... lol!!!

Blake the snake:
That sounds bad, doesn't it?!  lol!  Sorry Blake, that's just the rhyme we came up with a long time ago!!!  Sounds fun to us, we definitely don't mean you're a snake ;)  You're the farthest thing from a snake!!  You are such a friendly boy!  Everywhere we go, Blake's making friends!  I love it and I love how innocent he is.  He just assumes everyone and anyone would want to be friends and play!  We did teach  him a long time ago to say, "Hi my name is Blake, what's your name?  Would you like to play?"  And that has stuck with him!!  Today at the park he had a whole playground of friends he had never met prior to this morning!  And every time we leave, he has to say an individual good bye to every single one :)  And as we drive away he always says, "I hope my friends will be there when we come back!"  Love it!!!  He's going to have a lot of fun next year, when he gets to see his friends 4 mornings a week in Kindergarten :)

Reesey Geesey:
Or Goose as I like to call her!!  Reese is talking SOOOO much more in the last 2-3 weeks.  It is amazing!  She repeats everything ... And it is fun to see her learn and interact more and more with other children and adults!  It is nice that she can communicate more and more each day and is able to let us know what she wants/needs, i.e. telling us she is hungry (hun-gee) or thirsty (irsty)!  She still has this shy grin/turn of the head/watch you out of the corner of her gorgeous blue eyes look that is beyond adorable and always has strangers ooo'ing and awww'ing ;)  Reese has also started singing to herself and her dolls.  Or sometimes she'll just be sitting somewhere and singing.  Heart melting, I tell you!!!  Bedtime is such a great time with Reese!  She is so cooperative and loves her little routine.  Books, singing 'Rock a bye Baby' and 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' in her glider and then turn off the lights, turn the noise machine on and sing the 'Roses' song.  If I miss any of those steps she lets me know!!!  She is also becoming a major Daddy's girl (this is the age Em started the "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!")  Poor Cal can't put her down when he comes home from work!!

So much fun and never a dull moment with these 3 munchkins ;)  I am reminded of this weekly ... it doesn't matter where we go, I often get asked, "Are they all yours?"  "How old are they?"  And then comes the, "You're a busy Mom!"  "They are adorable!"  "You're brave, taking them shopping by yourself!"  "I remember when ..."  "Enjoy every minute!"  "They grow up so fast, mine are ..."  The best was last week at the YMCA as we were walking to the van, the kids stopped to pick flowers for Mom (a.k.a. dandelions) and an older man (I'd say around 80 years old) stopped to talk to me and watch the kids pick flowers.  He told me he had 3 children, all grown.  His oldest grandson had just graduated from the University of Alberta and had been married for 1 year.  He said he prayed every night that his Grandson would start a family soon.  He said he loved having small children around, that they reminded you of the important things in life and that he wanted to meet a great grandchild before it was too late.  He said he could remember his children picking dandelions and that he'd love to see his great grandchild do the same.  He said his great granddaughter-in-law would be a really good Mom.  I almost had tears in my eyes!  It was so refreshing to talk to him :)  And it totally made me miss working in long term care and with seniors.  When the kids brought me my flowers, I appreciated them that much more after that conversation :)

We had a great weekend!  Reese has swimming lessons on Saturday morning and Blake went to Mighty Munchkins during that time.  Em and I stayed home and did laundry!  We had a nice dinner out, just the 5 of us, on Saturday night!  Sunday morning we went to Church, which was great as always.  It's so nice to attend a Church that caters to children and families!!  Sunday after lunch we headed out to Mom and Dad's lake lot.  We had a great time, the weather was so nice!  They have a great little place there, I'm so happy for them!

I hope you had a good Monday and enjoy the remainder of this week :)

xo
Tracy

18 months ago ...

I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, named Reese Peyton Anne Cameron!!!  We didn't have her name picked out until Wednesday and she was born on Friday, November 19th!  Cal thought of it and I said, "Like Reese Witherspoon?"  He said, "Yeah!" and I said, "I love it!!"  For middle names, Cal really wanted Peyton (Peyton Manning!) and I really wanted Anne (my middle name and Cal's Mom's middle name!).  And now she is our Reesey, Goose, Gooster, Reesey-Gooey ;)  lol!!

Now there is a theme here, I know ... BUT I am always amazed and surprised at how fast time goes!  I'm sorry I sound redundant but really?!  Reese is 18 months old already?!  She's closer to her second birthday then her first?!  Where did THAT time go???

Reese has completed our little family, she is our 3rd baby and we've always said we want 3 (at least) :)  We'd have another if we were billionaires and could hire some childcare/house help!!!  Not joking!  I know why Brad and Angelina have so many kids!!!  I think I can relate with Angelina a little ;)  But, as we look back on the last 18 months of our lives it is almost surreal.  The last 18 months have been BUSY!!!  I know, everyone is busy ... but there are different kinds of busy, right?!  And I've been all kinds of busy and this is the busiest!!  I feel like I'm pulled and tugged and pushed in a million different ways from everyone in our lives, including the pressures I put on myself!  But although the last 18 months have been the busiest we've ever experienced they have also been full of love and fun :)  Of course having 3 young children has been tough at times but we really would not change it for the world.  They bring so much joy and love into our house and have really taught and shown us what is important in life.  They are our whole world and everything we do, we do for them.

Reese is growing and changing so fast and we are having so much fun with her at this age!  She continues to be a little monkey, climbing everything!!  Just yesterday she climbed Blake's bunk bed ladder ... twice!  One of those trips to the top bunk resulted in a fall :(  Her vocabulary is growing daily and she is starting to say two word sentences!!  The other day she held out her snack cup and said, "Need more!"  Another new word for Reese is 'hungry!!'  She will go stand at the pantry door and say, "Hungry!!  Hungry!!"  I'm 100% positive she picked that one up from her big brother and sister ;)  (Yes, she eats like a horse!  Just like Blake and Em at her age!!!)  She is into pointing out body parts and knows 'elbow' now, as well as ears, nose, eyes, mouth, teeth, hair, hands, feet, fingers, tummy and chin!!

Reese had her 18 month immunizations today.  They went extremely well - she did not even cry!  She weighed in at 24 lbs (50th %tile).  Her head circumference is in the 50th %tile and her height is in the 25th %tile.  Reese surprised the nurse when she pointed to the sticker she wanted when the nurse showed her a sheet of stickers and asked her if there was one she liked!

Reese is a total flirt!  She tilts her head to the side and looks up at people with her long lashes and big blue eyes, it is so cute!!  She loves playing with other kids and watching and learning from Blake and Emerson.  She often tries to mimic what they are doing and has a love for Lego, just like Blake!  She tries to put it together, it is really cute to watch!  I was really worried about the little Lego pieces making it into her mouth but she's more interested in playing with it!

Reese LOVES her blue rubber boots ...  it is so funny!  We borrowed them from our friends who had borrowed them from someone else, so they have been around the block!!  She pulls those boots out every time we're getting ready to leave the house!!  She holds them up and says, "Boots??"  She can even put them on herself, which may be why she loves them so much!!  She also loves babies and dolls.  She pats them on the back and rocks them :)  She loves her cousin Connor and looks so proud when she is holding him!  Reese also loves books and sits so quietly, listening intently as we read to her.

Reese recently started singing to herself!!  It is SO adorable!  She will be sitting somewhere playing and will start humming and singing :)  I can make out some of the lines and one of her favorite songs to sing is 'Twinkle, twinkle little star!'  The line I can make out is, 'Up above the world so high!'  She says "Up above' very clearly!!!

We love you so much Reese, happy year and a half :) :)

xoxo

Happy 5th Birthday Blake!!

It is Blake's champagne birthday this year - he turned 5 on the 5th day of the 5th month ;)  He toasted with an apple juicebox ... the 'champagne' of choice for 5 yr old's!!!

Our birthday celebrations started on Thursday, when we brought mini cupcakes to the YMCA for Blake's preschool classmates.  Blake chose chocolate cupcakes with blue icing and orange sprinkles.  We had quite an adventure making 48 mini-cupcakes on Wednesday morning.  At one point there was cake batter everywhere and we had to throw a cake batter-filled mixer in the garbage!!  At school, Blake stood at the front of the classroom and sang along with his classmates, as they sang happy birthday to him ;)  It was really cute to see!  And he loved handing out his cupcakes to his friends :)  He would say, "Here you go ____!"  Often the child would say, "Thank you Blake!  Happy Birthday!"  And Blake would reply (with a HUGE grin on his face), "Your welcome ____!  Thank you!"  So, so sweet, my heart just melted listening to them :)

On Friday the kids were super excited because Grandma and Grandpa D were home!  My parents came over in the morning and were smothered with hugs :)  We enjoyed a nice lunch at BP's and then Blake and Em went off on a bike hunting adventure with Grandma and Grandpa!  They found one eventually and Blake took it for a spin and approved!!  We can't believe he's on a 20" bike now!!!  Hopefully it lasts a few years!  He's loving his new bike, has crashed it a few times and has already been on another horn shopping trip with Grandpa, but this time they bought a metal horn so it shouldn't break again!

Saturday morning Blake opened his gifts from Cal and I and 1 of his gifts from Emerson and Reese (the other was saved for his birthday party, later in the day!)!  Blake was very excited to see that he was in fact correct, we gave him roller blades.  He knew he was getting roller blades because the little sneak found them under our bed ... what a turkey!!!  But nonetheless, he was excited and had fun trying them out!  He did great on the carpet and grass and was a bit more hesitant on the sidewalk but started picking up speed after a few minutes!

 We had a busy house Saturday afternoon, celebrating Blake's birthday!  Blake requested a LEGO themed party and I had fun planning!!  I kind of flopped on the cake (although Blake didn't notice and loved it!) but scored big-time on the Lego-head marshmallow pop's :)  I had fun making them and the kids had even more fun consuming them!!  Everyone enjoyed playing in the toy room, outside, creating with Lego and doing some Lego coloring and activities I found on the Lego website!  Blake had a BLAST and was very, very excited!!  He invited his best buddy from preschool and was so happy when Evan arrived (30 minutes late - we were worried he wouldn't come!)!!  Blake definitely played the 'birthday boy' role ... when it was time for birthday cake, I overheard him saying, "I am the leader today!  It is cake time!"  lol!  I'm not sure I've ever seen him so excited!!!!  We are so glad he enjoyed his birthday party :)  It was great to have everyone here, celebrating with us!  A huge thank you to everyone for coming to the party and for all the birthday wishes we received via email, phone , voicemail and Facebook!!  Blake had a wonderful day!

There are days when I look at Blake and he looks so grown up and mature and then there are times when I look at him and see my baby boy.  It is hard to wrap my head around the fact that he is 5 years old already!  It seems like just yesterday, I held my very 1st baby in my arms!  And even minutes before that, I heard, "It's a boy!"  I think of those moments and feel like I am there.

We are so proud of you, Blake.  You are such a loving little boy.  We witness this everyday and I will be forever grateful for your kind-hearted soul.  I pray you will hold on to your giant heart of gold as you grow older and experience life a little more.  You have an innocence about you that is so precious but I already see some of that slipping away.  It is so hard not to protect you from everything 'bad' in the world but we must let you grow, experience and learn on your own, to some degree.  You are such a big boy, taller and weigh more then anyone in your class and yet after class when we are playing in the playgym and you and your friends start wrestling and playing rough and tumble, you are always the one on the bottom of the pile!  I know you don't realize your strength but you are also very gentle and don't want to hurt your friends.  Many of the other preschool parents have remarked at how gentle you are!  And your teachers have told me how nice it is to have you in their class - they say you are so helpful and almost like a big brother to everyone!  And of course I can see that because I see how helpful you are with Emerson and Reese.  You are so particular Blake - honestly, it is hard to keep up with some days!!  You take "A place for everything and everything in its place" quite literally :)  You can be a worry-wart and I wish you would just stop worrying!!  You are only 5, trust me there will be many, many years ahead for you to worry.  Be a kid, don't worry!  You are a boy of routine and structure, that is for sure.  And we love you just the way you are, from the spiky hair you like to style (I never thought my boy would spend so much time in front of a mirror, brushing his super short hair!!), your handsome smile and almost grey/blue eyes, your ticklish tummy, to your orange toe nails (boys like nail polish too, you know!).  You are one of a kind and we are eternally grateful and blessed to call you our son :)

Happy 5th birthday to our baby boy!

xoxo Mom & Dad

Our family at Blake's 5th birthday party

Such a fun age!!

It is easy to forget how FUN being a parent to an almost 1 1/2 yr old is, that is until your youngest nears that age!!  Reese is SO much fun right now!  She is learning new words every day and talks so, so much (much of it sounds like a foreign language!)!  My parents are on vacation for a month right now and I bet when they return they are going to notice a huge difference in Reese!!  Be ready Grandma and Grandpa, she is going to surprise you ;)  I say my parents will notice a huge difference because they typically see Reese at least once a week and upon their return it will have been almost 5 weeks since they've seen her!

Reese can point out her own and everyone else's ears, nose, mouth, hair, hands, feet, tummy, and eyes!  And she can say hair, nose, and eyes quite well!  Blake loves playing this game with her, "Where's my eyes Reese?" etc, etc and they giggle together as she points everything out :)  Another new word Reese has learned is 'poo'!!  And she will tell you if she has it in her diaper!  I'm entertaining crazy thoughts of attempting potty-training before 2 ... It is tempting!!!  Reese LOVES being outside!  She loves going down our slides, walking Heidi, playing ball, puddle splashing, chasing Blake and Em and driving the coupe car, amongst other things!  She can spend a lot of time out there and when we let her out of her car seat in the van, she loves to take off to the front lawn and run around!  It is so much fun experiencing this age with our Reesey :)  

We have some good news!!  All of Blake's last round of tests have came back with zero issues!!  He had an ultrasound and a water deprivation test (2 rounds of blood and urine work) on Friday (it was a hard day for Blake and I!) to check his kidneys, abdomen and bladder.  It was a huge relief to hear there were no negative results!  We will be tracking his intake, output and stomach pain complaints over the next 2 weeks to see if there is any correlation between the 3 but hopefully this is just something he will grow out of.  After talking to Cal's Mom and Cal, Cal had some of the same issues when he was a little guy ... surprise, surprise!!!  Those 2 are like pea's in a pod, I swear!!  Blake is enjoying his hockey camp (Sundays, from 4 to 5) and has never worked harder in his life!  They sure make them sweat!  We are very excited for Blake's upcoming 5th birthday!!!  He's turning 5 on the 5th day of the 5th month - and of course it is cinco de mayo!!  Big milestone birthday :)  We have a super fun LEGO themed party planned with a hot dog roast and lots of cool LEGO games, decor, goodie bags and food!!!  Blake's very excited and is really excited to invite his best bud from preschool to his party!  This little boy and Blake get along so well and from what I've seen are so similar in their personalities!  Hopefully he will be able to attend!

We made a quick trip to the medi-centre today, to have Emerson's eyes checked.  My suspicions were confirmed ... pink eye :(  We picked up prescription drops and she will not be contagious within 24 hours.  I think Reese and I are getting it as well, so here's hoping Cal and Blake don't.  Emerson is LOVING preschool!  And I mean loving it ... the minute she wakes up on preschool days (which is often 6:30 am), she is asking, "Is it time to go to school yet?"  or saying, "I want to go to preschool!!"  We're so happy she is enjoying her class and know that she will have even more fun next year, when she attends a few more days a week!

We had our 5th annual new mom's group birthday party on Sunday!  I love that we are still 'together' and celebrating our wonderful group of kids!!  5 years sure flies!  Our first meeting was June 23, 2007!

This weekend we're looking forward to our friend Marc's 6th birthday party, amongst our other regular weekend activities.

Happy 'hump' day (tomorrow), enjoy the rest of your week, have a fabulous weekend and we'll talk to you again soon :)

xo
Tracy