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

Potty star!!

Reese decided she was a big girl, over the Christmas holidays!!  It's like a switch went off and all of a sudden she wanted to use the potty.  It was a very smooth transition, considering she wanted to be potty trained!!  She still has a few accidents, mostly if we're out and about and she forgets.  At home she hasn't had any accidents for awhile.  She even spent a morning in the YMCA Childminding with no accidents.  And the best part, she wants to do everything all by herself ;)  Sometimes she closes the bathroom door and says, "I want some privacy!"  lol!  It's nice having no poopy diapers to change!!  Way to go Reesey :)

Thank you 2013!

Another year has passed us by.  It's been a good year ... from what I can remember ;)  Those who know me well, know I have a terrible memory!!  I swear I look back on the past and all I can remember, without really thinking hard, is it was all roses and sunshine.  lol!!  I suppose that isn't the worst trait?!  At the very least, it is a great coping mechanism ;)

Here are some of the highlights (these are after thinking reallllly hard about it!  Ha, ha, ha!!):

- We paid off our van!!  Thanks to my incredibly resourceful, hard-working and smart hubby :)  Because let's be honest, I would have likely shopped that money away or taken a trip - lol!!

- Emerson turned 4 and celebrated the big day with (another) birthday party at Dynamics gymnastics club in St. Albert!  This party was "Rainbow Dash" themed :)  As always, we had lots of fun at the gymnastics club and afterwards we carried on the celebrating at Red Robins, where we celebrated Emerson's godmother's 40th birthday, along with Em's birthday and Cal's birthday!  So many February babies in our life!!

- Blake turned 6 in May and celebrated with a GI Joe themed party at the St. Albert Bowling Alley!  We had a blast and discovered all the kids quite enjoy bowling :)  We also had a backyard BBQ for friends, godparents and grandparents who couldn't make the bowling party.  It was a beautiful May day and so much fun :)

- Cal and Dad headed up to Fort McMurray in June, to meet Jeremy and friends for a fishing trip.  Actually, I think they ended up somewhere around Lac la Biche due to flooding and bridges being washed out.  But they had a good time fishing and quadding and I heard one of the funniest stories ever (for those who went or heard about the trip, think dropping the boat motor and worrying about getting a ticket ;) )

- I had a great time with one of my bff's on our 2nd annual Calgary Stampede road trip!  Lots of laughs, fun, food and drink, sleep-in's and quality time with someone I wish I could spend more time with!!  One of these days ... she promises me she is moving closer to me ;)

- We picked up our brand new trailer!!  This was so, so exciting!  We absolutely love it and loved spending so much time in it this summer (fabulous time with friends and family on May long, July long, Ol MacDonald's, August long, Jasper, a trip with the Hrdlicka's, etc, etc!).  The new trailer is amazing, the extra space makes all the difference in the world!  No rushing out the door in the morning because there isn't enough space for everyone!!  We have a table to eat at, that does not need to be made into a bed, each child has a bed, it's all just fabulous ;)  And with the kids being one more year older, combined with the extra space, I found this year to be far less stressful!  Not that it was ever really stressful but they all slept great, went to bed well, played well, no one was running off or crawling on rough ground, etc, etc!  Can't wait for this summer!!!

- We discovered geocaching and had some great geocaching adventures!!  We found a few caches and got lost a few times :)  Looking forward to more geocaching adventures in the future!  

- Both Blake and Em attended a Pedal Heads bike camp this summer and Blake officially took off his training wheels for good :)  Em also attended a YMCA day camp and Blake a hockey camp - lots of fun!  We enjoyed the days we spent at home this summer, with play dates with friends and trips to the park and spray park!

- 2 trips to Tisdale, SK.  One, just the kids and I this summer and one in November with the whole family, for my cousins wedding.  This was way overdue!  We had a great time visiting with family, most especially my grandparents and for me, my favorite (older!  ha ha, Jeanine!!) cousin and her family :)

- we had a nice visit with Cal's grandparents and Mom, as they were down from Grande Prairie for a few days this summer and came over for a visit and dinner out!

- a quick visit to the Francis family while they were camped outside of Edmonton!  The cousins enjoyed playing and popsicles ;)

- Blake started grade 1 and Emerson started her last year of preschool (3 days a week this time around!)  Reese started going to the YMCA childminding and is doing great!

- Reese turned 3 in November and celebrated at home with friends and family and a Dora themed party :)  She loved her birthday this year, really enjoyed being the birthday girl!!

- 2013 included hockey, power skating, ball hockey, trail running, Russian kettlebells, dance and swimming lessons as our main extra curricular activities!!  Cal returned to playing hockey once a week, Tracy is taking a break from kettlebell class and loving the classes at the Y!  Reese learned to skate!  Blake learned to snowboard!

And just like that, an entire year has passed.  A year full of ups and a few downs.  A year full of love and laughter and some tears.  A year full of growth and change and learning.  A year spent with the most beautiful family and fabulous friends.  We are truly blessed and thank each and every one of you for your role in our lives.  Here's to a new year ... new adventures, new opportunities, new challenges and chances to love and laugh and enjoy this wonderfully crazy ride we call life :)

I'll leave you with this quote I found on the internet, I quite like it!

"Another fresh new year is here  ...

Another year to live!

To banish worry, doubt and fear,

To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me

To live each day with zest ...

To daily grow and try to be

My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity

Once more to right some wrongs,

To pray for peace, to plant a tree,

And sing more joyful songs!"

- William Arthur Ward

HAPPY NEW YEAR, WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST IN 2014!

xo

Tracy 

Christmas Holidays Re-cap!

Christmas Day in Stony Plain

We had a wonderful 2 weeks off!  Here are some of the highlights from our Christmas vacation:

~ Christmas Eve family pj service at Church

~ Christmas morning at home, just the 5 of us

~ Christmas afternoon and evening with the Smith side of the family (had a blast skating at the outdoor rink Cal grew up skating on, fabulous eats and company!)

~ Blake's team played in the Confederation Hockey tournament (Blake received player of the game in his first game, we loved having the Stecyk, Smith and Stony Plain Cameron families join us to cheer on the Bobcats and enjoyed running into Blake's school friends and their families at the rink!)

~ Sledding with the Parenteau's on one of the nicer (but rainy!) days at our local hill

~ Playdate and visit with the Stony Plain Cameron's 

~ Shopping date with Em and my Mom and a friend at WEM

~ Having the Hrdlicka's over for an entire day of play and visiting :)

~ Cal and I had 3 date nights! (2 Oilers games and the below kid free day/evening!)

~ All 3 kids had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's (they loved it and Cal and I enjoyed running errands, a movie and dinner out!)

~ Playdate at the Tamminga's (just Blake and I :) )

~ Cal and Blake were invited to an Oilers game with one of Blake's buddies from school and his Dad 

~ lots of time to play with our new Christmas presents and enjoy some downtime at home :)

There are some of the highlights, in no particular order!  We hope you enjoyed your Christmas break and have a fairly smooth transition back in to your weekly routines!!  Our kids were quite tired this evening, it might take a few days to get back into the swing of things :)

xo

Tracy 

Skating at the Forest Green outdoor rink, on Christmas Day

2013 Christmas Letter and Photo!

We hope this letter finds you in good health and preparing for the exciting holiday season!  We have 2 new additions to our outdoor Christmas decor this year – Yoda and Hello Kitty … both in Santa hats, of course!  The kids were very excited when Cal came home from work with these new inflatable decorations!

Hard to believe another year has almost passed.  Everyone is 1 year older and 1 year wiser!!  We had a great summer, enjoying our new trailer.  We put it to good use with trips to many campgrounds and lakes in AB.  Many new, wonderful memories made with friends and family, we couldn’t ask for more.

Blake is now 6 years old and in grade 1.  He is doing well in French immersion and thanks to his virtual classroom; I think I could pass kindergarten!  His first 2 weeks were tough but he is now looking forward to school every day and doesn’t want to miss a second!  I’m not sure if it is school he doesn’t want to miss or the Star Wars games they play at recess but alas, we are happy he is happy!!  Blake’s playing hockey again this year and having a fantastic year.  It’s nice to be the 2^nd year player and score some goals – good for his confidence!  Blake is a sports nut.  He comes by it naturally … Cal and Blake are two peas in a pod!  Ask Blake the score in any NHL or NFL game that was played within the last week and he will tell you!  Jersey numbers, player names, he remembers it all!  Cal is quite happy with his son’s ‘knack’ for stats!  Blake also has many other joys in life – swimming, running, drawing, math, snowboarding (a new skill!), dancing (resembles more of a break dance style!), bike riding, the iPad and LEGO!  I asked Blake what he would like to tell his friends and family in this year’s Christmas letter and he said, “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

Emerson is 4, soon to be 5, and is enjoying her last year of preschool.  She loves school, her teachers and all her friends!  Em is really into dance and absolutely loves her dance class!  She is looking forward to playing soccer this summer and says she is going to play ringette next year (I can’t wait to coach!!)  She is a wonderful big sister to Reese, very motherly!  Em’s other loves include - riding her bike, swimming, make-up (we’ve had a few ‘incident’s’ this year!), arts and crafts, dressing up, skating, singing and baking!  Oh and she loves to shop!!  Em is a sweetheart and such a help around the house.  She loves to clean and do chores – I hope this continues for many years!!  I asked Emerson what she would like to tell her friends and family in this year’s Christmas letter and she said, “Tell them I made a snowman!”

Reese just turned 3 and is Mom and Dad’s cuddle-bug.  She is most definitely the baby in the family, true to the label!  Funny how that happens?  As mentioned above, Emerson really ‘mothers’ Reese and Reese soaks up every second!  Reese loves the class we attend at the YMCA, she believes this is her school and is always telling us, “I learned that in Miss Christine’s class!”   We sing, dance, listen to stories and do a craft every class.  Reese also loves her swimming lessons and is a little fish!  She will start unparented lessons in the New Year.  We recently took Reese skating for the first time and were amazed at how well she did!  She loves it!  Some of Reese’s other favorite past times include reading (she is often found in her room reading books!), playing with her babies, playing Barbies, riding her plasma car and watching Dora!  I asked Reese what she would like to tell her friends and family in this year’s Christmas letter and she put her chin to her chest and looked up at me with her big blue eyes and a concerned look on her face!

Cal and I are doing well!  Cal ran in the 5 Peaks Trail Run Series this spring/summer.  He ran the enduro races (approx. 17 km each race) and enjoyed the challenges that trail running brought!  Em and Blake even participated in a few 1 km kids challenges.  Cal’s in his 15^th year of employment with Telus and enjoying his work from home/don’t have to travel to downtown Edmonton commute.  Cal is the head coach of Blake’s hockey team this year.  He loves this role and puts 110% into planning every practice and game!  I am keeping busy with my online consignment venture and juggling children/home life!  Mom’s taxi (aka mini-van) sure puts on a lot of miles between grade 1 and preschool pick up and drop-off’s and all the other activities!  I’ve applied for a few jobs this year but haven’t found anything yet.  I’m keeping my eyes open for a very part-time Occupational Therapy Assistant position in the schools.  One of these days the right opportunity will arise!  I’m taking a break from my kettlebell class.  Cal and I have been making better use of our YMCA memberships, attending boot camps and various classes!  We celebrated our 9^th wedding anniversary in October and look forward to our 10^th in 2014.

From our family to yours – wishing you nothing but the best in 2014 and a blessed holiday season!  Merry Christmas!

xoxo

The Cameron’s