Cuteness Overload :)

These kids are just so darn cute, I want to squeeze the daylights out of them!!  But instead, I settle for a trillion kisses and tickles :)

~ Reese is hilarious.  A seriously funny little girl!!  It is crazy how much she has picked up from Blake and Em.  She is already a master staller at nap time and bedtime.  "Just one minute, Mom.  I have to go see something."  "I'm thirsty!"  etc etc.  And the way she says, "Just one minute." kills me!!!  So, so cute!  

Reese is definitely the most affectionate out of the 3 kids.  Just the other day she sat down next to me on the couch, covered us both up with a blanket, cuddled in to me and said, "I love you Mommy.  And I love this blankie."  Heart melted :)  I get a lot of "I love you's" :)  I love it!!  On Thursday, while we were waiting to pick Em up from Preschool, Blake and Reese were playing and hugging/wrestling when Reese looks up at Blake and says, "I love you Blake."  :) :)  

A side of Reese that not too many people have seen is the 'tude!!!  o.m.g. ... I need to catch her arm crossing, pouting face on video.  Seriously unbelievable!!  For example, on Sunday night Cal asked her to have some more supper and she (sitting in her booster seat at the table), throws her arms across her body, frowns, puts her chin down and says, "No!  All done!"  Honestly, it is so hard not to smile and laugh, it is actually cute!  But not something we should encourage!!!

Reese has sat on the potty many times, each time at her request.  She can sit for quite awhile!!  Just the other day she wanted to sit on her Dora potty seat, so I set it up and she climbed on.  After approx. 10 minutes she pointed to an Elmo potty seat and said, "I want Elmo!"  So she climbed off, I switched seats, she sat down and said, "I poop on Elmo, it's my special seat!"  Lucky Elmo ;)  lol!!!  (and no, she did not go to the washroom that time, after many minutes of sitting on Dora and Elmo!!)

~ Blake is getting into football.  Last Sunday he wanted to watch football with Cal!!  So cute!  After the Colts lost, Blake says to Cal, "I'm glad the Colts didn't win because if they won and played the Bronco's, who would we cheer for?!  Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck?!"  Pretty sure there was a grin from ear to ear on Cal's face ;)

Every night before bed Blake HAS to give Reese a hug and kiss.  He chases her around (she's not always open to his hugs and kisses!!) until he catches her and gives her a hug and kiss!  They have a much different relationship then Em and Reese.  Actually both girls have a more 'rough and tumble' relationship with Blake.  They love to wrestle with him!  It is so funny!!  Reese usually sits or lays on Blake and he lets her.  It's really funny, they giggle the whole time ;) 

Blake is really into saving money and doing chores for money!  In fact, before Christmas he came home from school with 80 cents and told me, "Brooke gave me some money!"  I was surprised and thought it was odd but got busy with lunch and putting Reese down for her nap and didn't ask anymore questions.  Later that afternoon when Cal got home from work, Blake told Cal that Brooke told him she had some money and so Blake said he asked her for some!!!  lol!  I had a little conversation with him about that ;)  We're glad he is interested in saving money and we can not believe how well he can count and add money - wow!!!  He is definitely strong at Math, we'll see if that continues!  We're working on figuring out a good chore/allowance chart for the kids.  We started out with some simple chores and $5/week a few months ago.  We've also done a ticket system with the kids, which worked but if they do all their chores every day that = $20/month.  I think that's a bit much for a 2, 3, and 5 yr old!!  The last thing we need is another $60 worth of toys in our house every month!  So we're going to start a new system where they get 25 cents/chore.  We'll see how that goes!  For now, Blake has saved quite a bit of chore money and birthday and Christmas money and has his eye on a few toys!!  We'll be making a trip to Toys R Us soon :)

This week, Emerson has been waking up early so one morning I decided I'd lay with her for awhile, until at least 7 am!!  I laid down and Blake said, "Mom?  Can you lay in my bed?"  I told him that I was afraid I was too heavy to sleep with him on the top bunk but that on Saturday morning he should come join me in my bed!  He was happy with that and this morning climbed in to bed with me for some morning cuddles ;)

~ Emerson is getting really excited for her birthday party!  I have a feeling she'll be inviting everyone she sees to her party!  Today she was looking at FB with me and asked me, "Who is that?"  I told her who they were (friends who live in Regina) and she said, "I want to invite them to my birthday party!"  She's very excited, wants to have a 'Rainbow Dash' party (a My Little Pony character) and have the party at the gymnastics club (again - this will be her 3rd!)!  In a way I'd like to have the party at home so I can do more party games, etc. but the gymnastics club is so fun for her and the kids and she looooves gymnastics.  So, we might do that again.  It is also quite reasonably priced and the biggest bonus of all - no cleaning the house before and then again after!

Em is soooo into dance!  She told me she wants to take another dance class, she has to wait too long for her class.  We think once a week is enough for now!!  But I think we'll see if there is a summer dance camp that she can go into, she would love that!!  She is very excited for her dance 'performance' but it is not until June, so she has some time to wait!

I know I've said it before, but it is just sooooo sweet how Emerson treats Reese!!  She is so helpful and is always trying to keep Reese happy and lend a helping hand whenever Reese is in need :)  Emerson calls her Baby or Sweetie and if Reese is upset, Em will often stroke her head and say, "It's okay Baby!"  Very sweet, I love it :)

Poor Emerson is getting really bad growing pains at night :(  I feel so bad for her.  Blake was the same way and still gets them every now and then.  I hope maybe Reese will escape them.

~ This morning we went to a minor hockey week pancake breakfast.  It was great, all compliments of KC St. Matthews hockey club!  Blake and Em each got 4 airbrushed tattoo's, 1 on each arm and cheek!

This afternoon my Mom came over for a visit and after the kids were in bed we went to visit my Grandma Kelley, who is living with my Aunt and Uncle.  They are leaving for Florida on Monday and Grandma Kelley just got out of the hospital after having an angioplasty.  But she looks great, is in really good spirits and has the go ahead to travel to the States.  I hope she has a great trip and gets lots of rest and soaks up the sunshine :)

This evening I called my Grandma Marg to wish her a very happy birthday!  I miss her so much, I wish we lived closer and could see each other more and she could see our kids.  But we do talk often and the kids have skyped with her and Grandpa and talk to them on the phone too.

I hope you're all having a great weekend :)

xo
Tracy

PS:  I moved the Resolutions post over to ramblingsofasometimesmadmom.blogspot.com

Holidays in Review

Boxing Day 2012

Wow, here we are ... 2013.  I feel like I just celebrated the millennium but no, it's 13 years later and that bar where we celebrated is now closed.  Hmmm ... I feel old!!!  Actually, I was just chuckling to myself the other day after these words were out of my mouth before I even thought about what I was saying, "When I was a kid ...!"  Oh boy, way to age myself!

So welcome to 2013!  I'm not sure why, but I am not exactly 'pumped' for the new year.  I can't put my finger on it, but I just don't feel great about the year.  Sorry to be a Debbie-downer, hopefully ol' lucky 13 will prove me wrong :)  Maybe that is it - I've never been a fan of the number 13!  But, as with age, I think I should forget about the number and concentrate on making some goals and enjoying this wonderful life!

We had a great holiday season and it's not over yet!  Cal goes back to work on Monday, so we get to enjoy a few more days together!  We've all been sick off and on.  Colds, coughs, sick to our stomach's (and the other nasty stuff that often goes hand in hand with this), sneezing and stuffed up.  No fevers thankfully and thankfully we were all better (for the most part - at least enough to enjoy the coming celebrations!) by the 22nd.

We had fun at DWS Consulting's 1st Christmas party on December 22nd!  Emerson was super excited to play with her friend Danielle!  The girls were very cute and we had a chuckle when Emerson and Danielle started comparing outfits and got excited that they were both wearing black tights ;)  Too cute!!  Reese enjoyed tagging along with the girls and Grandma pulled out a new Lego set to entertain Blake ... he didn't complain but it was obvious that he wasn't enjoying dancing and playing Barbies with the girls!!  It was nice to visit with some of Mom and Dad's closest friends and people I have gotten to know over the years, and it was nice to meet some new people and put some faces to the names I often hear!  AND great to see my sister and her family, especially cutie-pie Connor :)

The 24th brought a busy day, with last minute wrapping and preparing to host some of the Cameron family on Christmas Day (yes, I made 2 trips to the grocery store due to forgotten items.  Yes, I did make a list ... don't ask ;)  lol!!).  That evening, we enjoyed the pj service at St. Albert United Church, the kids were quite excited to attend Church in their pj's and even more excited when at the end of the service, we all sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and enjoyed birthday cake ;)  The kids spread their reindeer food before bed, set out cookies and Christmas milk (a.k.a. egg nog) for Santa and carrots for the reindeer and headed off to bed.  They slept great, I was wondering if Blake and Em would get up in the middle of the night to see if Santa had arrived but they didn't. That is coming soon though!!!  Cal and I both remember sneaking downstairs to see our stockings in the middle of the night :)  It was very sweet to hear Blake and Em talking about Santa and his reindeer after we had put them to bed.  Brought back many great memories of sharing a bed with my sister on Christmas Eve!  I think in the future Reese will sleep with Em on Christmas Eve so they can all be together, excited and chatting :)

Christmas morning began in our house at around 7:15 am.  Which for us, is not too early!!  The kids were all bursting at the seams to open their stockings and gifts.  Blake's Lego City Forest Fire Police Station, Emerson's Baby Butterscotch and Reese's Baby Doctor (a.k.a. Baby Alive Feel Better doll) were the Santa gifts and all caused a lot of excitement!!  My favorite part of 'gifts' is the stockings!  I love stuffing the stockings with all the fun, little things and the kids always enjoy them!  Let me tell you, Captain America and Hello Kitty toothbrushes can cause quite the excitement ;)    Mom and Dad brought breakfast over around 10 am and the kids enjoyed showing them their new toys and gifts!  Gerry and family and Bev and Bruce joined us a little later in the afternoon for dinner and more visiting, playing and gifts!  It was great to see everyone and nice to have Bev with us on Christmas Day :)

The morning of Boxing Day, we loaded up into the van and picked up Grandma Kelley on our way to Stony Plain!  She recently moved in with my Aunt and Uncle (Mom's brother), who live just a few minutes from us.  We haven't spent Christmas with Grandma Kelley in many, many years, so it was great to have her with us for our 'Smith' Christmas :)  We had a great day at Mom and Dad's - a delicious wife saver breakfast, opening gifts, visiting, playing, relaxing and a delicious turkey dinner!  The kids had fun with Connor, especially the girls who like to treat him like their baby ;)  And Connor was a champ, he didn't mind at all!!

Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful gifts we received and for sharing the most important gift of all, the gift of time, with our family :)  We had a really great Christmas, each year gets better and better and easier too, with the kids getting older and more resilient to later bed times and missed naps!

We had a few days of rest before a fun night out for a friend's 40th birthday party!  His wife hosted a hall party and we all had an absolute blast!  We visited with so many friends, some who we don't often see due to how busy all our schedules have gotten since having kids (a.k.a. reduction in partying!!)!!  Blake, Em and Reese had a ball playing with all the other kids.  Emerson put on quite the performance on stage, dancing away, complete with high kicks ;)  A few parents were taking pictures and video of the kids on stage and Emerson ensured she was near the camera!  Every time the camera would move, she would follow!  She's quite the little performer!  We also had fun with the photo booth that was at the party!  Em 'photobombed' many pics and we got a kick out of all the props and accessories, having fun taking family pics and pics of the kids with friends!

To round off a great 2012, we spent our last day of the year ski-dooing and tobogganing at my parents lake lot.  It was a beautiful winter day and we had a great time, having a hot dog roast, riding Dad's ski-doo (hard to get the kids off!) and Blake made a few trips down the hill on his new snow racer (and Grandma tested out Em's flying saucer!)!  We had pizza at Mom and Dad's that evening and headed home with some tired out kiddo's!  We thought we might partake in the Family Fest in Stony Plain, but the kid's were pretty much done for the day!!  Maybe next year!  We were invited to the neighbours for some New Year's cheer but our baby monitor wouldn't reach that far :(  Cal encouraged me to go on over and he would hold down the fort, so I did and I really enjoyed myself!  We visited and played Scattagories, it was fun!  I made sure I was home before midnight, with cheesecake in hand, to ring in 2013 with my hubby ;)

In between all these parties and celebrations we have enjoyed some tobogganing and outdoor skating and spending time all together.  We hope you have had a fun Christmas season and wish you all the best in the New Year :)  I still need to work on my goals for 2013 ... more on that to come!

xoxo
Cal, Tracy, Blake, Emerson and Reese

PS:  Here are a few photo's I've taken throughout the holidays:

Our sweeties in their pj's, ready for the Christmas Eve pj service!

Emerson, Jenna, Reese, Colby and Blake on Christmas Day, in their new pj's made by Grandma Bev :)

Our Smith family with Grandma Kelley, on Boxing Day :)

Cal and the girls, ready for some ski-doo'ing!

Grandpa and Blake, heading out on a ride!

2012 Photo card and Christmas Letter!

(the first photo shoot of my family done my moi (thank you self timer)!  many more to come!)

We’ve had a happy, busy 2012 here in the Cameron household!

Blake turned 5 on May 5^th and started Kindergarten this fall at Ecole Bishop Savaryn elementary school.  He is in a French Immersion program and so far we are happy with our choice!  He is learning so much, it is amazing how his French vocabulary expands each week.  He is really enjoying Kindergarten and making many new friends (there seems to be a birthday party to attend nearly every weekend!).  As for extracurricular activities, Blake has been busy with hockey and swimming lessons.  He moved up to Initiation 2 in hockey this year, which means a practice on Saturday and a game on Sunday.  He loves it and has the biggest grin on his face, each time he is on the ice.  It is so sweet after each game he will say, “I touched the puck __ times today!”  Blake continues to love swimming lessons and is very excited about learning how to swim underwater!  He is still quite tall for his age, tallest in his class, which has us replacing his pants every few months!!  I can’t believe how fast he grows and I wonder if he’ll slow down soon or will he tower over Cal and I before we know it?!  Blake is even more LEGO crazed this year, his LEGO collection has increased and he spends hours building LEGO, and reading LEGO instructions and his LEGO magazines.  He is still our serious, thoughtful boy who thinks things over thoroughly!  I see a lot of Cal in him!

     

Emerson turned 3 on February 16^th and started preschool in September.  Last year she went to preschool at the YMCA with Blake for the last few months of the school year but this year she is at a new preschool and attends Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  She has such a great time; she absolutely adores her teachers and class.  We really enjoy seeing the excitement on her face as she runs out of class to greet us!  Emerson’s extracurricular activities are a dance class (combined ballet/jazz/tap) and swimming lessons.  She is sooo excited for each class and tells us many, many stories of her time in dance, swimming and preschool (not all are to be believed!!)!  Seeing her so excited and happy, warms our hearts.  Emerson is still very girly, we cannot get her to wear a pair of pants (unless we’re public skating but even then, she will often wear a tutu over her pants!!)!  She twirls around the house, dancing everywhere and saying, “Look at this!  Look at me!  Can you do this?”  She has the dance bug, that is for sure!  We’re excited for her dance recital at the end of the season (not until June).  Emerson can be a bit moody but is really very sweet and so kind.  She has this soft side that has really emerged since Reese was born.  She’s very nurturing and motherly :)

Our youngest peanut, Reese, turned 2 on November 19^th.  I truly felt as though it should have been her 1^st birthday, not her 2^nd!  Unbelievable how fast her first 2 years have gone by.  Reese enjoys the music/play/craft program we go to at the YMCA.  She loves singing and dancing and making crafts (the glue sticks are a big draw!)!  Reese loooooves her swimming lessons and has no problem being under water!!  She is certainly the baby of the family … she has us all, including Blake and Emerson, wrapped around her little finger!  When she speaks, you hear her!!  But just like Emerson, she has a very nurturing/soft side that is evident when either of her siblings is sad and she spends hours each day taking care of her babies (feeding, bathing, and cuddling), it is adorable :)

Cal is busy at work and at home.  He is in his 14^th year of employment with TELUS and has recently been designated as a mobile employee, which means he is at the downtown office once every few weeks and works out of home or at the wire centre closest to our house the remainder of the time.  He is loving this transition!  He gets so much more work done, away from the distractions of the typical office!!  He is quite busy right now, covering a few different positions but we are not complaining … the overtime makes it easier!!  Cal completed his 3^rd half marathon this summer, with a personal best finish.  It was a great weekend, with Blake participating in the kid’s event and good friends also running in the 10K and ½ marathon.  He is looking forward to running in his 2^nd Hypo-half marathon at the end of February.  Cal is an assistant coach for Blake’s hockey team and is really enjoying the jump up to Initiation 2.  He is often the on-ice coach during the games and has a great time with his team!      

I am enjoying our new fall routine.  Busy with driving kids to school and activities but very blessed that Cal can come home and run Blake or Em to school if need be.  I am glad Blake is in ½ day kindergarten and I still have quite a bit of time with him at home.  They grow up so fast, I want to savour every minute!  When kindergarten first started, the girls and I felt a bit lost without Blake but we have adjusted!  We still give him big hugs every afternoon when he gets off the bus (he takes the bus home from school) J  I took the plunge in January and joined a friend in a Russian kettlebell fitness class.  It has been the best thing I’ve done for myself in a long, long time!!  I feel great and really enjoy not only the exercise but the friendships that have formed.  I also attend a yoga class every now and then and have fallen in love with yoga!   I’ve tried other yoga classes and have not enjoyed them near as much!  I think it’s all in the instructor!  I wish I had more time for yoga but maybe one day!  I am still very busy with Cameron’s Closet, my online consignment business.  I now have two helpers, which has been a huge success!  I’m always on the lookout for other part time opportunities that still allow me to stay home with the kids but so far nothing has popped up! 

Our time away from home this year began with our annual May long weekend camping trip to Cross Lake.  We had a great time but realized our trailer was definitely too small for our family of 5!!  This lead to posting the trailer on Kijiji and eventually selling it.  We were sad to see it drive away, there are so many great memories that revolve around that trailer!  But we are excited to spend the upcoming camping season in our new trailer, making new memories!!  In July we rented a cabin on Lac la Biche.  We had a great time, spending most of our days on the beach and at the playground and our evenings around the fire pit!  Our other travels this year, included trips to Fort McMurray (one by myself in February to meet my new nephew and one for a girls weekend with my Mom, sister and kids while Cal and the guys went on a quadding/fishing trip), two trips to Grande Prairie (love visiting friends and family up north!), a trip to Calgary with one of my best friends for a girls weekend (sooo much fun!), a family trip to Calgary (we met Cal’s sister Carmen and family for a fun day at the Zoo) and Cal and I took a trip to Denver at the end of October (great time away, enjoyed the R&R and most especially finally saw Peyton Manning live at a Bronco’s game!!).

We are wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!  Hopefully our paths will cross in 2013 :)

xoxo Tracy, Cal, Blake, Emerson and Reese

Fun weekend!

Ready for our sleigh ride :)

Friday evening after swimming lessons, we rushed over the Candy Cane Lane for our 4th annual sleigh ride!!  It was a gorgeous night outside, not too cold and the perfect evening for a sleigh ride.  We had so much fun, singing carols and enjoying the lights.  Blake and Em love the sleigh ride but we weren't sure how Reese would react.  Well, turns out Reese LOVED the sleigh ride too!!!  She was pointing to lights and singing Jingle Bells over and over.  It was really cute and so heart warming :) 

Saturday afternoon was Blake and Cal's hockey Christmas party, which the whole family was invited to!  We had fun, the kids ran around and played mini sticks while we visited with other parents and got to know each other a bit more!  Although it is Blake's 'team', the entire family is enjoying meeting new people and making new friends :)  Reese and Em now spend games and practices playing dolls and Barbies with their friends while I chat with the ladies!  

Sunday morning, Blake and Em were in the Christmas pageant at Church, both dressed as Shepard's.  It was very cute and a great production, with the older kids playing 'acting' roles, primarily Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth.  They did a fabulous job, putting in a lot of rehearsal time and practice!  The Church school kids (ages 3, 4 and 5) sang "Go Tell it on the Mountain" complete with actions and the congregation joined in with them the 2nd time around, it was awesome!!!  Sunday afternoon Cal's Dad, a.k.a. Grandpa Bruce, came over and we went to Blake's hockey game.  It was fun to have Bruce there and hear stories of Cal's younger days in minor hockey!  Bruce thought all the boys were really good skaters for their age and enjoyed watching Blake!  Blake came so close to scoring his first goal, it was an intense moment!!!  We had Bruce over for supper after the game and the kids kept him busy ;)  It was great to see him!

We are all done our Christmas shopping, thanks to Cal and I spending the majority of a day at Dollarama, Superstore, Walmart and Kingsway Mall!!!  Thank you to Grandma D for holding the fort down and allowing us to do some power shopping :)  I am awaiting the arrival of a few gifts that I ordered from the States.  They were ordered in November and are still not here :(  I'm REALLY hoping they arrive soon!!!  Tonight, we hope to get the majority of our wrapping done!

The kids have all been under the weather this week.  Reese woke up from her nap on Tuesday afternoon and puked all over her crib :(  But other then that 1 incident she has been fine, so hopefully that was an extremely short-lived bug!!!  Blake has a terrible cough, very phlegmy and if he was a baby I think he'd have croup!  No fever or any other symptoms, so that is good.  I kept him home from school yesterday but today he went because it is 'Winter Fun Day' and they were going on a horse drawn sleigh ride and had many other fun events planned!  I emailed Mme. Emilie to let her know he has a bad cough but no fever, etc. so hopefully no one is upset I sent him?!  Poor Emerson was really sick yesterday evening/night/early this morning :(  As we arrived at dance class yesterday evening, she puked all over herself and the car seat.  She was so sad and so upset that she was missing her dance class :(  I ran Miss Jessica's present in to her and headed home with Em.  She was sick to her stomach all night but so far she has been good today!  Again, hoping this is a short-lived bug!!  And hoping no one else catches it.  We have not been sick for so long, it has been awesome but I guess every now and then everyone has a turn!  Here's hoping everyone is feeling 100% by Christmas Eve :)

Good luck with your last minute Christmas preparations.  I still have a lot of baking I want to get done and of course, wrapping!!!  

xo Tracy

   

Christmas Concert's!!

Blake, ready to go rock his Christmas concert!!

Blake performing, "Quand le pere Noel vient me visiter"

Blake decorating his tree!

Thursday, December 13th we attended both Emerson's and Blake's Christmas functions at their schools!  We had a great time at both!!  Emerson's preschool class wore Santa hats and beards while singing Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, all with actions!!  So cute :)  Emerson did a fantastic job, we were so proud of her :)  After the concert, Santa visited the classroom and we had a pot luck snack.  It was nice that Blake didn't have school on Thursday and we were able to attend all together :)  

Blake's Christmas concert was Thursday evening.  Blake was extremely excited!!!  The French immersion KG class, the English KG class and the two 100 Voices preschool classes all performed on Friday night, finishing with a grande finale "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", all performed together (close to 100 students!)!  They did such a great job, very entertaining with their fun actions and singing their hearts out :)  Blake's class sang a song about Santa in French, which was very impressive and the English KG class sang a beautiful song about baby Jesus.  After all the music, there was snacks and a all the kids got to decorate a Christmas tree (waffle cone with green icing and candies!)!  It was a nice evening and we were so proud of Blake's performance :)  

Emerson's preschool class, ready to perform!  (Em is the last child on the far right)

Our family at Emerson's Christmas party!

Proud as punch :)

Blake received a 'Justice' award at school last week :)  Cal attended the assembly on Friday morning.  After receiving the award (a certificate), Blake and the other award recipients got to go to the teachers lounge with the principal and vice principal to decorate cupcakes!  The Justice award is based around the phrase, "Knowing when to talk and knowing when to listen."  Justice is defined as, just behavior and treatment of others and also the quality of being fair and reasonable.  Blake was very excited for this award and when I asked him why he was getting the award, he told me, "For being nice to others and helping out my friends and teacher."  So cute!!  He was also very excited that Maxx and Gavin were getting an award too and remarked, "That's so neat!  They are two of my best friends!"  We're so proud of him and the glowing reviews and feedback we hear from his teacher.  Way to go Blake!!

Emerson had her entire preschool class (teachers and classmates) believing that she was going to Disney World this week.  Seriously, this girl has an imagination and can tell a story like you wouldn't believe!!  After preschool on Tuesday, Mrs. Chong asked me when we were leaving for Disney World.  I told her we weren't.  She looked at me with a confused look on her face and said, "Oh?  Emerson told us she was going to Disney World this week."  I said, "No, we're not!!"  We had a good laugh, Mrs. Chong told me that the whole class was so excited and Emerson was just vibrating she was so excited ... OMG!!!!  I wonder if now the teachers will believe me when I say, she tells stories?!  What a gal!!!  

Reese has changed so much in the last month!  It is amazing how much she has 'grown up', unbelievable.  Her vocabulary, her behaviour, everything!  She is obsessed with her teddy that she sleeps with!  She calls it her baby and Baby has to do everything and be everywhere - eating at the table, having its clothes changed, its diaper changed, Baby is often hungry or thirsty or cold or sleeping.  It is really cute!!!  She takes very good care of Baby and what tugs at my heart strings the most is when I see her giving Baby a kiss and hug :)  Sweet, sweet, SWEET!!!  Almost makes me want to make Reese a big sister ;)  Almost ... but NOPE!!!  lol!  Reese is still very cuddly and lovey dovey, more so then Blake and Em.  She randomly says, "I love you Mommy.  And I love Daddy and Blakey and Emmy (this is what she calls Emerson!)."  I ADORE it!!!  Blake and Em are not so free with the "I love you's!"  I do feel sorry for Emerson at times, though.  Reese loves her sooooo much, she wants to be by her side and playing with her alllll the time!!  I've never seen it bother Emerson, she goes along with whatever Reese requests (ahem ... yells at her!) but I cant' help but think Reese is a pain in Em's side some days!!  She literally yells at Emerson, "EMMMMY!  Come upstairs Emmy!  In the bedroom Emmy!  Come play Emmy!"  LOL!!  And Emerson goes along with it!  She is so good with Reese, it is amazing!  I suppose she enjoys it, I don't know?!  I just know that sometimes when I'm observing these interactions, I can't help but wonder why Emerson hasn't told her off!  I'm sure it will come one day!  lol!!  And such is life with a sister ;)

We've been busy around here, getting ready for Christmas and getting in the spirit!  We hosted our Mom's group Christmas party this past weekend.  We had 11 kids and 9 adults over.  We had fun, making Reindeer food for Christmas Eve, opening gifts, enjoying a yummy dinner and playing and visiting!  Today, my Mom babysat the kids while Cal and I went Christmas shopping.  We are pretty much done, I think I have 1 more gift to pick up!  Tomorrow morning is Emerson's preschool Christmas concert and tomorrow evening is Blake's Christmas concert!  We're really looking forward to both concerts!!  Friday evening we are taking our annual Candy Cane Lane sleigh ride!  Can't wait for that!  The kids are very excited to see the horses and all the lights!  And then Saturday morning before Blake's hockey practice, we have a hockey Christmas party!  So many fun events happening!!  Love this time of year :)

Have a great weekend!

xo
Tracy 

Marvelous Monday!

We just had a great Monday!!  Love starting out the week with a great day :)

This morning we met my Mom at Servus Place, for a swim date (followed by Starbucks of course :))!  We haven't taken the kids swimming (other then swimming lessons) for such a long time, we were long over due!!  We had a great time, our kids are seriously little fish ... from Blake and Em swimming underwater (Em with her eyes WIDE open), back floating, front floating, splashing, jumping, Blake and Cal riding the waterslides, floating down the lazy river, Reese has no fear ... it's a lot of fun!  They could be in the water allllll day!  And we saw that this summer, especially at Eric and Christa's cabin.  They didn't want to get out of the lake ;)  Blake had a PD day, and I was wondering if we'd see anyone we knew and sure enough, we saw Evie from his class!!  They played together quite a bit, splashing around and having fun!  Blake also went to preschool with Evie, so he knows her quite well.  While we were swimming I kept thinking that I can't wait for camping trips this summer!  Our water babies will really appreciate a few more beach days this year :)

And speaking of camping ... we went to Coachworks R.V. after Reese's nap and saw our new trailer!!!!  EEK!  So exciting!  And so beautiful :)  It's very nice, we're super excited and very happy with our choice!  We did all our shopping on line so this is the first time we've actually seen it in person!  It's a great layout for us and we kept saying, "Wow!  Look at all this storage!"  Inside and out!  It's going to be so much nicer for our family of 5!  The kids thought the golf cart ride to and from the trailer was pretty cool and were especially interested in their bunk beds!  We're thinking we might just start Em and Reese off on the same bunk, first trip we take.  I'm sure Reese will goof around for awhile, maybe a few nights, but hopefully (fingers crossed!) she'll adjust quickly and sleep!!!  We are very excited we got to see the trailer, not so excited to sign the papers to pay, but hey, that's how it works ;)  lol!  We'll be bringing it home (actually to a storage lot!) in March or April.  Can't wait to get out camping!!!  We may have to go before May long weekend ...

Monday evening I had a consignment Christmas party at The Manor restaurant, downtown Edmonton.  It was a very nice restaurant, food was top notch, wine was the best I've had (thank goodness we shared a bottle, I would not have wanted that $50 charge!!) and the dessert was TO DIE FOR.  Best meal I've had in a long time, so delicious!  I highly recommend The Manor.  And fabulous company!!  Nice to see my consignment peers on a more social basis vs. FB chatting and crazy busy meet days!

This weekend was super, super busy with hockey practice an afternoon/evening with the Hrdlicka's, Church and a hockey game!  But again, a really great weekend.  We had an awesome visit with my bff and her family.  Our kids are so amazing together, they play so incredibly well it is the best!!  And Blake was extremely excited about Sunday school on Sunday morning because it was his turn to make a gingerbread house!  Last week the 3 yr old's made their houses and this week it was the 4 and 5 yr old's turn.  They love Sunday school, the teacher is AMAZING and so are all the helpers.  This Sunday concluded a 4 week lesson and so they performed their song in front of the congregation.  Actions and all!  It was adorable :)  This term's lesson was based on building your life and faith on a solid foundation.  It might take more time and it might take more work but you will weather the storm, was the essence of the message!  I'm not sure the young children totally got the message but Blake and Em definitely know that if they every build a house, they will be building it on solid land, possibly rock, but definitely not on sand!!!

We hope you had a great weekend and Monday :)

xo
The Cameron's