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

From Reese

~ For all of Reese's blog fans ;)

Hi everyone!

Today is my 2nd birthday! Mom thought I should write a little message to let everyone know what I'm up to these days!

A lot has changed since my last email 1 year ago. I've "grown up" so much over the past year! My memory is really good  and I have memorized a lot of songs. My favorite song to sing is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."  And I can even count up to 16!! I also know a lot of the ABC song :) Some of the other things I enjoy doing are reading books, coloring, doing arts and crafts (especially using glue sticks!!), dancing, watching Dora the Explorer and Super Why, playing with my baby dolls and ponies and playing with Blake and Emerson (and sometimes fighting over toys :s)!! 

I love having Mom home with us every day and doing lots of activities with Mom and Dad! We have a ton of fun!! I enjoy my swimming lessons (I love the water and have fun doing bobs!!) and "Come Play With Me" class, but I also like to play at home.  I like to play with Blake and Em but sometimes get mad when they play with toy.  Mom often hears me saying, "MINE!"  I'm learning to share!  But it is hard because Blake and Em do usually give me whatever I want!!  Sometimes when Blake and Em are busy, I enjoy going to the playroom and playing all by myself, usually with my babies and/or our play kitchen!  Mom says she might register me in a gymnastics class in the New Year.  I love to run and jump!!  One of my favorite games is running around the house or outside and having someone chase me!  I run as fast as I can and say, "Can't catch me!"  It is a lot of fun!  I love playing outside, even in this snowy, cold season ;)  I am a great eater, Mom and Dad think I eat more then Blake and Em quite often!!  

On November 21st I had my 2 yr pediatrician appointment and I weighed 29 lbs (75 %tile) and my height was in the 45th %tile!

Well, I hope everyone is doing great. It was good talking to ya' and hopefully I'll see you soon!

Hugs and Kisses,

Reese

Happy 2nd Birthday, Reese :)

Today is Reese's 2nd birthday, although i you ask her how old she is she will tell you 3!!  We had such a great day!!  When we awoke this morning, Reese opened our gifts to her.  Then it was off to drop Blake off at Kindergarten!  After we dropped Blake off, Cal, Em, Reese and I made our usual stop at Timmies ;)  We all had breakfast and enjoyed chatting with some neighbouring Timmies customers!  We love visiting Tim Horton's in the mornings, everyone is so friendly and we're usually the youngest people in there!!  After breakfast, I took the girls to Come Play With Me.  We all had a great time, the girls absolutely love this program and Miss Christine :)  It's so much fun to see them singing and dancing and loving craft time!

After Reese's nap we all headed out side to play in the snow and sled down the 'hill' in our front yard!  Our neighbour used his quad and blade and enlisted the help of a city operated bobcat to create a huge snow pile in our front yard.  It's awesome and the kids love sledding down the hill!  Of course, playtime outside is often followed by hot chocolate and being Reese's birthday we added marshmallows to that hot chocolate ;)

Reese had a great day, enjoying a favorite dinner (chicken nuggets and yam fries) and enjoyed another round of "Happy Birthday" and cake!

It is hard to believe our Reesey is 2.  She is a smart little cookie and has learned soooo much from her big brother and sister.  It is amazing how a little person can pick so much up, just from being around a 3 and 5 year old!!  She has an extensive vocabulary and puts long sentences together!  Her words are not always easy to understand but she sure has a lot to say!!  Reese is very independent ... she does not want help with anything!  Dressing, taking off her diaper, feeding herself, climbing up and down stairs (no matter how steep), when we attempt to help her, we get a stern, "ME DO IT!"  We can not imagine our family with out her, it would feel incomplete.  She has brought so much joy to our family and has really brought out Emerson's kind, loving, motherly nature, which often amazes me!  She is so, so, so good with Reese, it is heartwarming.  Blake is also great with Reese and such a fantastic big bro!!  

Reese, we love you beyond words.  Your spunky personality, your goofiness (love your dance moves, I really need to capture them on video!), your love for your family, your infectious laugh, your gorgeous blue eyes and pinchable cheeks, from your head to your toes you are a perfect little package :)  You are such a cuddly little girl and I love how you gently pat my back sometimes when I hug you.  You are becoming more and more of a Daddies girl, 2 seems to be the age this happens in our house!  Thank you for being you Reese, letting your individuality shine through, keeping every moment interesting and fun and bringing much love and joy to our family!  We love you more then you will ever know and can't wait to enjoy this next year with you :)

xoxo Mom and Dad

It's a Paw-ty!!

We hosted Reese's 2nd birthday party on Saturday the 17th.  It was hard to pick a date/time that worked around Blake's hockey schedule but we figured it out!

Her party was a puppy theme and I had a great time planning!  Thank you to Pinterest for all the fabulous ideas and Etsy for the decor ;)  Reese had a cold and wasn't in the best of moods but by the time the party got into full swing she was her happy self and had fun!!  We made puppy party headbands (I had to call them hats around Blake because there was no way he was wearing a headband!!) and the kids enjoyed adopting a puppy at Reese's puppy shop!  They chose a puppy stuffie, filled out an adoption certificate, and filled their loot bags with puppy supplies (kibble, puppy vitamins and fetch sticks!)!

Thank you to everyone who came to the party and helped us celebrate our baby girls 2nd birthday!!  We hope you had a dog-gone good time!!  Reese is having lots of fun, discovering all her new gifts and Blake and Em are also enjoying them ;)


xo
Tracy

Fundraiser's, Dentist's and Parties!!

Lago Lindo preschool's big fundraiser is coming up on November 17th and I volunteered to be on the Fundraising Committee.  I'm asking myself why?!  lol!  Like I have all the extra time in the world ... but if I don't volunteer, I'm just like the rest - "Someone is taking care of it."  "I'm sure they have enough volunteers."  "I'm too busy!" etc etc etc.  Volunteers are hard to come by!  And truthfully, I am enjoying our committee meetings and meeting some of the other Mom's!  The lady who is the head of the fundraising committee is extremely organized and has ran many similar events, so knows what she is doing!  We're having a pub night and silent auction, along with a few different raffles.  Our goal is to raise $8000.00, which will cover the field trip expenses for the year (including busing), the Christmas party and year end party and a yearbook for each child.  Anything over and above $8000.00 will go into a savings account, which is for the building of a new preschool.  We're working hard, hoping to beat last year's $10,000.00 raised!!

Emerson is getting an appliance, called a crib, in her mouth to help her stop sucking her thumb.  Our dentist recommended this appliance when she was 3 years old but I've found it hard to come to this decision.  I really feel for her, it is a huge help in comforting herself and falling asleep and to take that away seems cruel :s  But on the other hand, we will be thankful in a few years when she doesn't have jaw and teeth alignment problems from thumb sucking!  And she will thank us, I'm sure!  Our dentist applied the same appliance in her daughter's mouth when her daughter was 3 and said that she noticed a huge difference in just 6 months.  If you look closely, Em's teeth are starting to form a peak in the front, which is from sucking her thumb.  Her first appointment was on the 7th.  She did well, but it was tough having the metal rings fitted to her teeth and the impressions made.  I've never had impressions made, but my Mom, Cal and Lindsay have all told me it is not fun.  Em seemed to have a hard time remembering to breathe through her nose, so we just kept reminding her and she got through it!  The appliance gets cemented in on the 15th.  Wish us luck :)

This morning there was a nice Remembrance Day service at Church.  Sunday school was cancelled due to the special day but they ran some kids activities at the back of the Church, which our kids enjoyed!  One of the Sunday school teachers let us know that next weekend the kids will be building ginger bread houses.  This has sparked a lot of excitement in Blake and Em!!!  They're very excited for next Sunday ;)  This afternoon we attended Danica's 2nd birthday party!  Danica is just 1 day younger then Reese!!  We had a great time!  Jodi hired "Lady Dolphin" to face paint and entertain and she was an absolute hoot!!  Quite the character ;)  I'm not sure if she was in 'character' or if that is her personality?!  It was hard to tell!!  But regardless, she was a lot of fun and the kids loved her!  Emerson had her face painted as a heart princess, Blake was Captain America and Reese allowed Lady Dolphin to paint some pretty designs on her cheeks and forehead!  It took a little convincing, in the form of Daddy getting some painting done of his own ;)  Cal is such a good sport!!  Jodi told me her Mom said to her, "Tracy's husband is so good with kids!  He's just letting them paint his arms, his cheeks!  What a good guy!"  That he is :)  Unfortunately, on the way to the van Cal stepped down onto the road and rolled his ankle.  It was quite painful and hard to walk on but we think it is just a sprain.  He'll be resting it for a week or so and we'll be keeping an eye on it.

Monday is a STAT holiday and we were hoping to go public skating but with Cal's injured ankle he is not going to be able to go.  Instead, we'll still all go to the rink but I'll just go on the ice with the kids.  And because Monday is Cal's day off (due to working 4 10's) he gets Tuesday off too!!  I don't know why I feel like I have to defend Cal's work schedule but I do ... some days ... especially when it results in a 4 day long weekend!!  He works very hard and earns every minute!  He not only does a fantastic job in is current role but is also helping cover a management position (one he turned down ;) ) and works a lot of O.T. in the evenings, covering work in his previous position!  So while he may not have a 'traditional' work schedule, he puts in more then his fair share of hours ;)

Tuesday morning we're going to do some errands for Reese's 2nd birthday party, which is on Saturday!!  Coming up quickly!  We're having a puppy themed party, and we're all looking forward to it :)  I can NOT believe Reese is turning two.  Oh, and we are going to celebrate my birthday on Tuesday evening!!  Chinese food and cake ... yum yum ;)

Take care everyone, talk to you soon!

xo

Tracy

You Are Unique

Today I had the pleasure of volunteering in Blake's classroom during an in school field trip!!  It has been a volunteering kind of two weeks for Cal and I!!  And we love it :)  We're very thankful for the opportunity to volunteer in the kids classrooms.

This in school field trip was all about being unique and different.  It was fantastic!  Such a great lesson for the kids.  The leader was wonderful, she travels from school to school running this presentation in kindergarten classes.  The students identified how they are unique from their classmates and did some fun exercises, forming trains based on hair color, eye color, activity preferences, etc.  The blue eyed train would walk around the classroom and pick up the green eyed cars, etc. etc. until one long train was formed!  They also did a craft where they chose activities they like to do and objects they like and put together a small model of themselves, choosing their hair color, eye color, clothing, socks and a hat.  I asked Blake what he learned from the field trip and he said, "Everyone is unique and special!"  Objective met :)

After the field trip, Blake and I went shopping for some new long sleeve t's!  His classroom seems a bit chilly to me!  Then we went to Cora's for brunch.  It was delicious, I'd never been before!  It was a great 'date' with Blake!  We find he's so quiet, doesn't say much so we're trying to spend some more 1 on 1 time with him, hoping he'll open up a bit more :)  And while he was definitely not a chatterbox (like his sisters!) we enjoyed ourselves and had some good chats!!  It's nice to focus all your attention on 1 child once in awhile!  When we're by ourselves with Emerson she talks our ear off!!  But as you know, she is quite the story teller and we find ourselves wondering, "Hmmmmm ... do Mrs. York and Mrs. Chong really live together?!"  "Did Emerson really go to see Cinderella last night while we were sleeping?!"  LOL!!  The stories she weaves are something else ;)  But we enjoy hearing them and spending time with Em, as she keeps us entertained and tells us allll about everything!!!  Reese is a bit quieter, being almost 2, but I can see in the future she will be as chatty as Em!

I'm hoping we can squeeze in time to get our flu shots this week.  We never got the flu shot last year and I think it was our 'sickest' winter.  I've heard there is a nasal mist available for the kids but it is a live culture?!  I think we'll just stick to the same old needle, as I've heard more kids who are getting the nasal mist are getting the flu before building an immunity because it's a live culture.  I don't know but I do know we've gotten the needle before, so we'll stick with that for this year!!  And hopefully the kids will cooperate.  I've never had problems with them before but as they get older, they get a bit more scared!

Talk to you soon,

Tracy  

Happy Halloween!!

We had a rockin' Halloween!!

Emerson & I at her preschool Halloween party 

It started off with Emerson's preschool Halloween party on the 30th.  I volunteered in her classroom that day and we had a blast!  The party planning committee did a great job putting together the party.  There were numerous craft stations, a decorate your own mini-pumpkin station (the mini-pumpkin was a Christmas orange!), decorate a Halloween cookie station and a bean bag toss!  And of course a delicious pot luck!  I love this preschool :)  So well organized and even though there are volunteer commitments and slightly higher fees, it is all so worth it!  Em LOVES preschool and her teachers, which is so awesome!  She's so bubbly and talkative and cooperative and Mrs. York and Mrs. Chong have told both Cal and I many times that she is such a good classmate and friend to her peers, which is so awesome to hear!

Blake & I at his KG party

On the 31st, I volunteered in Blake's classroom for his Halloween party!  We had a lot of fun!  I wore my pink Crayon costume and coincidentally, Mme. Monique was dressed up as a blue crayon!  During the parade through the classrooms everyone kept asking us if we'd planned our costumes.  We didn't but it sure looked like we did!!  I enjoyed my morning in Blake's class.  The kids are all so sweet and Halloween is such a fun time, you can't help but get swept up in the children's excitement!!

Our dragon, puppy dog & ninja

This year Halloween Day was quite chilly.  I don't remember the last time it was this cold on Halloween.  But the kids were very excited to go trick or treating and thankfully we could fit quite a few layers under all of their costumes (in fact, Reese was sweating when Cal took her costume off!)!  So we bundled up and headed out!!  We stopped at most of the houses on our block and then the kids jumped in the wagon and we ran as fast as we could to the Parenteau's neighbourhood!  We were hoping to get some protection from the wind in one of the crescents but it didn't happen!  The girls visited a few more houses and decided to head back home with Cal.  Blake and I continued on with Eric, Christa and Berlyn.  Blake was getting quite cold but he did not want to stop!!  The Parenteau's headed home and we started in the direction of our house.  Blake kept saying, "Only 3 more houses, Mom!"  But would see some cool decorations and say, "And that one, Mom!"  lol!  He had quite the pumpkin full of candy!!  Finally a pee break was needed and we got home as fast as we could :)  I love Halloween, the excitement of the kids, the visiting with neighbours and friends, seeing all the adorable costumes, it's all just so much fun :) Can't wait for next year!!

We hope you had a fun and safe Halloween, too!!  And kept somewhat warm!!

xo
Cal, Tracy, Blake, Emerson and Reese

3 nights, 4 days

Closer to leaving for Denver, I started getting a bit worried about leaving our kids for 3 nights, well 4 really because we didn't get home until midnight Monday, and 4 days.  We keep a pretty close arm around their shoulders and I know we're kind of helicopter parents at times, but that's us.  They're not used to us leaving them, 99% of the time Cal and I are both home for bedtime, there's probably only 3 or 4 times in Blake's life that either Cal or I haven't put him to bed.  That's just how we roll!  I worried that Emerson would miss us, she can be quite a mommy and/or daddies girl.  She has matured emotionally so much over the past 6 months but still has her 'moments'!  Moments when it takes a special word, a special embrace, or just knowing her inside and out to calm her down and get her back to happy, bubbly Em!  I worried that Blake would worry.  He is such a worry-wart.  A week prior to us leaving he was asking all kinds of questions, "Why if it is only 4 hours away, can't you go to Peyton Manning's game and come home the next day?"  We told him the airplane ride was approx. 4 hours, which prompted the question.  "Where are you going to sleep?"  etc, etc.  And I worried Reese wouldn't sleep well and would be grumpy!  And I worried that asking someone to take care of our three kids for this long of a time was a bit much to ask of someone!!  There are days when I am overwhelmed, exhausted and have a hard time keeping up with all that needs/should be done, never mind someone who isn't used to the 24 hr/day chaos of 3 munchkins!!

But turns out everyone did well (although Reese did not sleep her best!).  My Mom said everything went better then she thought it would, which is fantastic!!  She got Blake dropped off at school on time, all the kids were super cooperative getting out the door (they always are, thankfully!), Dad took Blake to hockey on Sat and Sun, everyone went out for supper, Blake and Dad completed a tough Ninjago LEGO set, they played, shovelled snow, and had fun!  Sounds like they were on their best behaviour, thank goodness :)

We had a wonderful time in Denver!  We walked a lot, enjoyed numerous leisurely brunches, lunches, dinners and beverages!  We slept in, took naps, shopped and had a blast at the Bronco's game!!!  Our hotel with nice, our king size bed heavenly!!  Downtown Denver is very nice, we felt really safe and walked for blocks upon blocks, checking out the shops along the 16th street mall.  We also visited the Cherry Creek shopping district and mall, which was also very nice.  The mall was pretty normal but the outside shopping district was very nice.  A lot of upscale stores and a nice part of town.  And of course, we had to visit a Super Target!!  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, for our wallets) all our luggage was stuffed full and we didn't have enough room to do much shopping at Target ;)  It was fun to look though!!  We had a great time and some much needed R&R :)  We visited Mile High Stadium the first day we got there, just to see it, check out the Bronco's store, and figure out how to take the light rail there for the game!  Took us awhile to figure out the bus/train system and our first visit there we took a really round about way, but that's the fun of discovering a new city ;)  Game day was very exciting!  We headed to the stadium early and got to see some of the players walking in.  We hooked up with a friend of a friend at a tailgate party, which was cool!  Walking through all the tailgaters was fun too, people sure take their tailgating seriously!!!  It's awesome!  I wish we lived in an NFL city, it would be so much fun!!  Our seats were great, not super close to the field but not too high up either.  The Bronco's and Peyton Manning played awesome and kicked butt!  We saw Peyton throw 3 TD's!  The energy in the stadium was crazy, 76,000 screaming and cheering fans!  Can't wait to go to another game!!  We'd like to go to Indianapolis if there's ever a Colts vs Bronco's game!  Cal's still a big Indy fan and an Andrew Luck fan, so it would be pretty cool.  I'd like to fly in to Chicago, see a baseball game there and drive to Indy but not sure if we'd be able to pull that off!!  We'll see!

We facetimed with the kids a few times.  And they wanted to see our hotel, etc, so I sent some pics via text to my Mom!!  They missed us, it was really sweet to see their smiles and feel their tight hugs when we got home!  We went in to check on Blake and Em and they woke up and gave us big hugs :)  Reese woke up not long after we got home, so we got to give her a big hug too!!  It felt like we were gone for a good amount of time!  Not too long, I really don't know if I could leave them for a week.  I wouldn't want to try, at least not yet!

Thank you SOOOOO much to my parents for taking care of the kids so we could get away.  We really, really appreciate it and we are so very grateful for your help, love and support!  We'll let you re-charge your batteries for a year or so and might hit ya up again for a few nights ;)  Ha, ha ha!!!

Next up, Halloween!!  I'm volunteering in Emerson's class tomorrow morning and in Blake's class on Halloween Day.  Looking forward to it!  Talk to you soon :)

xo
Tracy

    

Star of the Day!

On the 16th, Emerson was the star of the day at preschool!  Reese and I stayed in the classroom for around 20 minutes, so I could see what star of the day is all about!  I'm so glad I stayed, it was so cute to watch Emerson in her star role!!  She had a special seat next to Mrs. York, was line leader, did the weather and the date.  And then, the letters of her name were scrambled on the board and she had to name each letter and together with a helper she chose, unscramble the letters to spell her name!  She did an awesome job, knew each letter in her name and almost got the correct order of letters!  I should maybe be ashamed to admit that I was surprised, but I was!!!  I now know, we have been underestimating Emerson!  We never really thought she paid that much attention when we were doing learning-type activities but apparently she was/is!  And I'm sure preschool this year has helped, too.

Em & I on the John Janzen Centre field trip!

Once again, Emerson surprised me on the field trip I accompanied her on to John Janzen Nature Centre, yesterday.  I was very excited to go on Em's 1st field trip and Emerson was also very excited to have me along!!  The bus ride was a big highlight for all the kids!  I think they could take a short bus ride around the neighbourhood and call it a field trip and the kids wouldn't mind at all ;) But we did go to the nature centre, which was our first visit.  I've heard of the centre but have never looked into going.  The field trip was awesome!  Our leader was so great - very good with the kids, and very fun and knowledgeable.  Emerson had a blast, I enjoyed watching her complete the activities, answer many of the questions (and correctly, too!) and was very surprised by her eagerness!  She was nearly always the first to follow the directions of our leader, often at the front of the group and always raised her hand to answer the questions.  And like I said, most often she was correct!  Not enjoying being the centre of attention, at times I almost wanted to shrink into the woods so as to avoid the looks from some of the other parents!  At snack time I was chatting with two of the other parent volunteers and they both remarked at how smart Em was ;)  And I had to admit, again, I was a bit surprised!  I said she obviously pays more attention then I realized and I do believe she learns a lot from her older brother and some of the t.v. shows he watches!!!  I was very proud of her :)  But she put a dent in that when at snack time and then again during a group photo her and another girl got into a bit of a pushing match!!  LOL!!  These two girls just seem to butt heads, I've seen this a few times!  I haven't asked the other girls Mom, but I wonder if she doesn't have an older brother, too?!  It's actually kind of funny, but not at the same time.  What I've witnessed is Emerson and this girl standing very close to one another and what has happened is one or the other gives the other a light push so as to create some more space and the other retaliates with a harder push!!  It doesn't go on or escalate but regardless, they shouldn't push!!  They few times I've seen this happen, I've always reminded Emerson to keep her hands to herself, move to another spot, etc, etc.  Like I said, funny but not funny!!  I hope Em keeps this feistyness (but controlled) as at this point in time, no one is going to push her around and I'd like that to continue into jr/sr high school!!!

The same day Em and I were on a field trip, Blake and Cal attended a pumpkin party at Ecole Bishop Savaryn!  Thank goodness for my Mom, who babysat Reese so Cal and I could take Blake and Em to their school events.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mom!!!  The boys had a great time, Blake came home with some really cute crafts, had fun singing songs, listening to stories and having a special snack!  It was nice for Cal to accompany him and I am also very thankful that Cal can change his work schedule to attend these types of events in the kids lives :)  Blake is very excited to wear his Halloween costume to school on Halloween day and I am looking forward to volunteering in his classroom on that day!

Reese, not being in school, has not had any special events in her life or stars of the day, other then the usual day to day 'stuff' and her usual starring role in our family ;)  She is getting close to her 2 yr birthday, which we find hard to believe.  I feel like she should only just be turning 1 and still our baby.  However, she is growing up so fast and so much each and every day and is very obviously, nearly 2!!  Along with Blake and Em, Reese visited Beaners this week and got her 2nd haircut.  She barely had any hair trimmed but somehow the hair cut made her look a little bit older.  Each day, she speaks clearer and says more and more words and sentences that often surprise us.  She loves playing with her new bath tub doll (in and out of the tub!).  Her and Emerson play so well together, it is heart warming :)  Emerson is so great with Reese and it melts my heart to hear Em call Reese 'Hun, Hunny, Sweetie' ... so adorable, the terms of endearment and the sweetness of her voice.  Blake is also absolutely fantastic with Reese but she definitely plays better with Em.  Reese is so, so cute and has a very strong mind and will!  She is stubborn and knows how to play her "I'm the youngest of 3 card!!!"  Or she'll say, "I'm sorry Momma."  And *poof* I've forgotten what she's just done!  Blake and Em may argue once against something she has said or done or asked for but before long, Reese wins.  Reese seems to always win!  Makes me wish I was the youngest instead of the oldest, in my own family ;)  lol!!

Tomorrow morning, in just a few short hours actually, Cal and I are leaving on vacation!  We have never left all 3 kids before but are actually quite relaxed about the whole thing!  They are all getting older now and Mom and Dad will be watching the kids.  I have typed out a few pages of instructions and our usual routines and feel very confident ;)  Hopefully Mom and Dad feel as confident!!  I'm sure 1 or 2 or maybe 3 of them may act a bit out of sorts but overall, I think they'll have a nice time and enjoy each other's undivided attention without interruption from Mom and Dad!!!  I am SO looking forward to some down time!  Sleeping in, wandering around, eating and drinking what we want, when we want, and mostly going to a Bronco's game!!  Can not wait!  So excited!!!  We don't have any plans other then the Bronco's game on Sunday.  I don't care what we do to be honest, I just don't want to be rushed around sight seeing or having to be up at a certain time, etc.  We really just need to relax and take it easy.  We need this :)  Thank you so much to Grandma and Grandpa D for taking on this 'job'!  We appreciate it greatly and hope everything goes smoothly!

When we are back I'm sure I'll blog about the trip!  In the meantime, enjoy yourselves and have fun preparing for Halloween!  We are back at midnight on the 29th and have an extremely busy few days ahead of us, with Halloween activities at KG and PS and then of course, Halloween night!  But I can't wait, I love Halloween :)  Chat with you soon!

xo
Tracy    

So much to be thankful for!

Wishing you all a (belated) Happy Thanksgiving!!

I love this time of year - the chill in the air, the beautiful fall colors, re-visiting all we are thankful for, the excitement of winter sports and activities approaching, Thanksgiving gatherings and our wedding anniversary :)

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner at my Mom and Dad's, so nice that as the kids get older we can stretch bedtime a little later and get more visiting in!  It was fun playing with Connor and visiting Lindsay and Mom and Dad.  The kids were all angels!  We took our annual walk to Forest Green park and the board walk for some fall photos.  Let me tell you, it is not easy getting a 7 month old, 1 1/2 yr old, 3 1/2 yr old and 5 yr old to all look at the camera at the same time ... but we got some cute shots :)  The weather was gorgeous and the kids enjoyed playing in the leaves (and chewing on a few for Connor!)!  Thanks for the great dinner, Mom and Dad!

On Sunday afternoon, Blake, Em and I met Mom, Lindsay and Connor at WEM for lunch and some shopping.  Shopping is not Blake and Em's forte ;)  Some days Emerson is a little shopaholic, but not when it's in Mom/Grandma/Auntie's stores!  Blake, he could just do with out shopping all together, unless it's Toys R Us or the toy section at Walmart!  But I got them a Jugo Juice and took them to the Disney store on the way out of the mall, which are two of their favorite things at the mall, and they had a great time checking everything out and enjoying the free movie and coloring in the Disney store!!  One thing I can say, is I am very proud of them for not whining or crying for something every time we go shopping.  They, of course, ask for things all the time but they accept a reply of, "That is really nice!  We will have to put that on your wishlist!"

On Monday morning it was back to the mall, but this time we went straight to Build-A-Bear!  Lindsay and Jeremy have bought Blake and Emerson Build-A-Bear's and it was now Reese's turn to build a bear with Auntie for her 2nd birthday :)  She was so cute and loves her Rosie bear!  Although she does have a hard time not calling her bear Honey Bear!!  Honey Bear is Em's build a bear, who Reese has played with for the last year!!  So now Rosie is often referred to as, "Rosie Honey Bear!"  Too cute :)  After Build-A-Bear we went for coffee at Timmies and then said good bye to Lindsay and Connor, as they were headed home to Fort McMurray.  I am so grateful that my sister takes time to come to Edmonton and visit us.  It's hard for us to get up there and I miss them dearly but like I said, I am so, so thankful that she visits frequently.  I know it's not easy to travel with a little one, although Mr. Connor is a pretty awesome traveller!!!

The rest of the weekend was pretty low-key, spent building LEGO, watching movies, doing a little bit of yard work, a bike ride, regular house cleaning stuff and just enjoying some down time.  These are some of my favorite days :)

Tuesday was our 8th wedding anniversary!  I still remember our wedding day, as though it was yesterday :)  I had the time of my life, so much fun and so wonderful to have so many of our friends and family all together under one roof!  Ahhh, great memories to cherish forever :)  We pulled out our wedding album to show the kids and had fun reminising and answering a zillion questions!!  To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to take the whole family out for dinner to Red Lobster!  We love seafood and so does Blake!  Emerson tried Blake's shrimp and liked it too, so next time I think she'll get that kids meal!  We had a really great dinner, the kids were so well behaved and cute as could be ;)  I like taking them out once and awhile for a 'nice' dinner (a.k.a not McDonald's)!  I remember as a kid going to one of the 'fancy' restaurants (do you remember the name, Dad??  Not Gentleman Jim's but a different one!  Maybe Flames??) in St. Paul and my Dad teaching Lindsay and I about the different utensils and why there were so many forks!!  Not sure why that has stuck in my brain (Lord knows my memory is terrible!) but I do remember it and that has made me want to teach our kids proper table etiquette and restaurant etiquette!  We had to laugh at the number of trips made to the washroom with Blake and Em!  I think they just wanted to walk past the lobsters ;)  8 years as a married couple - it is amazing to reflect back on the last 8 years and all that we have accomplished, built, felt, dealt with, and enjoyed.  Wow!  Here's to 80 more!

On the 12th I had an opportunity to take Cal to a trial kettlebells class!  I was so excited to show him what I've been up to for the past year!!  Thanks to my Mom for babysitting and putting all 3 to bed!!!  I'm glad Cal got to meet Laurie and Jodi and see what this whole kettlebell thing is about!  It really has changed my life, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.  Laurie is such an amazing woman, I can't even put into words how wonderful she is and I am so grateful for meeting her and for the friendship that has developed with my consignment bff, Jodi!!!  Cal enjoyed (I think?!) the class!

And that brings us to the 14th!!  A big day for Blake!!!  He had his 1st hockey game and his 1st school birthday party :)  The hockey game was first and went great!  He touched the puck a few times, made some passes and best of all, came running out of the dressing room with a huge smile on his face :)  So proud of our little #4!!  I loved the game and we all got a kick out of Reese cheering, "GO Blake GO!!"  He has a great group of kids on his team and a Coach who makes them work hard and listen, with a little bit of fun thrown in and an Assistant Coach (aka Coach Dad) who makes sure they're not only working hard and listening but having alot of FUN!!!  Cal is so great with the little guys :)  It will be a great hockey season and I am proud to be a hockey Mom!!

After the game, Blake and I rushed over to Chuck-E-Cheese for his classmates 5th birthday party!  He had so much fun :)  I love watching him having a blast with his friends!  Chuck-E-Cheese is okay in small doses ... this is only the 2nd time I've been there with Blake so it was good.  I wouldn't be able to go too often!!  lol!

We hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and are enjoying Fall :)  Talk to you soon!

xo
Tracy



    

Fantastic Fall!

The last few weeks have been great!

Emerson is loooooving her dance class!!!  Yesterday as we were leaving the dance studio she said, "I love my dance lessons!  Can I go again tomorrow?"  She's also been asking when she will get to go on stage!  lol!  They have a year end recital the second weekend in June, which we are really looking forward to!!  Emerson is definitely all girl!  I'm not sure, but I do not recall being so 'girly' as a little girl?!  I may need my Mom and Dad to confirm/clear that up!!!  Emerson must wear a dress or skirt every day, it must twirl and she spends a lot of time dancing around the house and saying, "Mom/Dad, watch this!" as she twirls, points her toes, raises her arms, etc.  It is adorable but the constant outfit changes can be frustrating!!  Some days she changes her outfit 4 or 5 times a day.  Emerson is also really enjoying preschool!  I can not say enough about how awesome the Lago Lindo preschool is.  So great!  Her teachers are amazing, Mrs. York and Mrs. Chong (who Em calls Mrs. Charm and insists her name is Mrs. Charm) are so patient and wonderful with the preschoolers!!!  I am excited to accompany Emerson's class on a field trip to John Jantzen Nature Centre at the end of October!  I also signed up to volunteer for the Halloween party :)  Emerson is also really enjoying swimming lessons!  She really has no fear and has a blast at lessons!

Blake is still enjoying Kindergarten!  We hear small amounts of information here and there about his mornings, but often when we ask him what he did today at school he replies, "I forget."  But every now and then he'll come out with something, such as they've been practicing playing an instrument in music class for the Christmas concert, or he'll sing a song in French (head and shoulders knees and toes and has told us he's learning a Thanksgiving song!), tell us about the math stations they did (he says he loves math!) or mention something about his friends!  He was very, very excited when he received a birthday invitation from his classmate Kyle!  He keeps talking about how Max and Ian are also going!  And he continues to enjoy taking the bus home from school ... and I love watching for him and seeing him run off the bus and look back to say goodbye and wave to Max and Mitch (his bus driver)!!  Love seeing him happy and enjoying the entire Kindergarten experience :)  Cal is looking forward to volunteering in Blake's class for their Halloween party :)  Blake's hockey team was set last week!  Cal is an assistant coach and they had their first team practice this past weekend.  They worked hard and both Blake and Cal were sweating when they came off the ice ;)  Blake loves hockey and is pretty excited to play a real game this year!!

Reese is doing great too!  Although she had another 'incident' the other day :(  Poor girl has had more bumps, bruises and falls then her brother and sister combined.  A few days ago she took a bad fall down the stairs.  I saw it and it looked absolutely horrible.  She flipped down the stairs, hit her head in the middle of the fall and then landed at the bottom on her head.  It was very scary.  But she is fine, tough little girl.  Boy oh boy, if I would have fallen like that I would have been hauled away in an ambulance.  Kids are so resilient, it is amazing.  All she has to show for it is a bruised lip and nose.  And for that we are very thankful!!  I think she's more prone to accidents because she does not slow down ... she is keeping up with Blake and Em every step of the way!!  She seems so much more grown up then 21 months.  She plays the same games as they do, loves LEGO, watches their shows with them (although never sits for long!), and repeats EVERYTHING they say!!  For example, when I tell her it is naptime soon she will look at me, hold up 5 of her fingers and say, "5 minutes Momma!  5 minutes!"  Hmmmmm ... I wonder where she got that gift of bargaining from?!  lol!!  But it is so cute, you can't help but smile :)  And another line she says that has me smiling and my heart melting is, "Okay Momma."  If I ask her to do something, help me, lay down in her crib and close her eyes, whatever it may be, she often replies with this line in a very soft, gentle, adorable voice.  I love it :)  She says the same to Cal but "Okay Daddy."  Too cute!  Reese really enjoys "Come Play With Me" at the YMCA!  She knows Miss Christine by name and has a blast singing all the songs and doing the craft.  Of course the glue sticks are a huge attraction ;)  She's a gluing queen, gluing everything and more!!!  Her favorite songs are "Zoom, Zoom" and "Sleeping Bunnies" ... I love how she knows all the actions and just gives 'er ;)  Now, the other 2 munchkins love swimming and are quite fearless in the water but Reese takes it to another level!!  Almost every day she asks, "Swimming?"  And she knows swimming lessons are on Friday!  If you ask her she will tell you, "My swimmin' on Friday!"  She is doing bobs in the water already and zipping down the slide and under the water like nobody's business ;)

Two weekends ago I decided we should take our own fall photos at Lake Beaumaris.  I wasn't sure how they would turn out but we are impressed with the results!  The kids were pretty cooperative and I feel we got some fantastic photos, considering we'd never tried this before and were using a tripod and timer!!!  I love photography but have never really taken much time to learn about my camera.  I'd like to take some sort of course and an editing course!  Maybe that will be one of my 2013 goals :)  Here are a few of my favorites from our photo shoot:

One or a few of these photo's will be seen in our upcoming Christmas card ;)

We had a great time at our niece Jenna's 3rd birthday party, last Saturday!  The kids played and had a lot of fun!  Colby and Blake were inseparable and had a blast :)  It was also nice to see Carmen, Kerri and Kailey and Kathy, Katie and Grayson!  Thanks for a great time, Stony Plain Cameron's!

And we had a great visit with my parents last week, who had just got home from vacation!  It's always strange when they are away because we're so used to seeing them frequently and talking almost every day!!  So it is great to have them home again or at least in the same province, as Dad is up North working for a few weeks!  The kids were very excited to see them and see what surprises they may have brought back from the States!  Blake has been stuck to his new Ninjago book and LEGO and the girls are carting around their Hello Kitty dolls!  We're looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner at their house on Saturday and seeing Lindsay and Connor, too :)

On Sunday we met the Parenteau's at the Edmonton Corn Maze.  It was our first visit to the maze and we had a fun time!  The maze itself was interesting, we took a few wrong turns but after answering 5 trivia questions (thanks to our iPhones and Google!!) we found our way out of the maze!  The jumpy pillow was also a major attraction with the kids, along with the pedal carts!  We will definitely try to visit again next year, it was fun and a nice afternoon outside on a gorgeous Fall day!!

We hope you're having a great week and slowly adjusting to the cooler temp's!!  Although I hear this weekend is going to be significantly warmer ... and for that I will be giving thanks :)

xo
Cal, Tracy, Blake, Emerson and Reese

Imagination

Kids imaginations never shut off!!  I adore witnessing Blake, Emerson and Reese's imaginations at play!  With Blake, we witness his use of imagination most often while he is playing with trucks, cars, trains, Batman toys and LEGO but also when he is playing on the playground with other children.  His imagination takes form in playing out the roles of a police man/fire man/bad guy/robber/train conductor/race car driver/construction worker and other similar roles.  He will often take on 2 or 3 different roles when playing by himself!  Reese is starting to use her imagination, primarily with dolls, barbies and teddy bears!  She pretends they are crying and comforts them and pretends they need their diaper changed, etc.  So sweet to witness :)  But I would have to say that of the 3 kids, Emerson's imagination is the most vivid, or perhaps maybe she just expresses her imagination more freely!?  Regardless, we are constantly entertained by Emerson's imagination.  Mostly by her stories of her friend Belinda.  Belinda came into our life just this past summer.  In fact I remember the first time she mentioned Belinda.  It was one day after Once Upon a Princess camp.  Cal and I both assumed Belinda was a friend Em had made at camp but turns out there was no Belinda in the camp!  Belinda has been around ever since and Emerson's adventures with Belinda and her stories of Belinda's life are extravagant and hilarious at times!  For example, yesterday Emerson went to the dentist for a regular cleaning/check up.  She got a small goody bag when she left.  Today when I was getting ready to take the girls to Come Play With Me, Emerson had packed a few small toys into the plastic bag she got at the dentist.  She held it up and said, "I'm bringing this for Belinda.  We can drop it off at her house."  I asked her where Belinda lived and she quickly replied, "Not too far.  By Canadian Tire."  Okay!!  Once we got in the van she went on and on about how Belinda's daughter Madi was being bad and Belinda was chasing her around allllll day.  ALLLLL day long and Madi pooped in her pants and had an accident.  So I asked her if Madi wore diapers and she said she didn't, she was a big girl not a baby!  Emerson told me all about what Belinda was cooking for dinner and how Belinda likes to sometimes walk over to Emerson's house to play with her toys and have supper, etc, etc, etc!  This is just one story, they vary quite a bit from day to day and some days she doesn't talk about Belinda at all!  But it is fun to play along with and I'm glad she lets us participate ;)  I try to ask open ended questions and hope that all of this is fostering their creativity!!  Just one more fun side to parenting :)

xo Tracy

  

o.m.g.

I almost had a heart attack this morning.  I had taken the glass off our coffee table, to clean it.  I leaned it against the fireplace (stupid Mom).  I looked up and saw Reese touching it and before I knew it, it came crashing down on her and broke into pieces.  Thank GOD I was near by and quickly ran to her and picked her up.  The poor girl, she had a cut on her cheek and a bruise on the other cheek.  I feel terrible, so stupid of me to leave it there and not immediately clean it and put it back :(  But thank goodness she is okay, other then a small cut and a bruise.  It could have been SO much worse, I don't even want to think about it.  That glass is really heavy too.  I'm so sorry Reese but I am glad you are okay!!!  xoxo

Back to school 2012!

Blake and Em's first days of school went great!!

Blake's staggered entry day was Tuesday.  He went to school for 1 hr, 15 min and parents were welcome to stay, so I did!  Cal took Reese out of the school for most of the class, Em was at preschool!  We found Blake's 'hook' where he'll hang his backpack and jacket and leave his indoor shoes and a change of clothes!!  We dropped off his school supplies and met his teacher and the classroom assistant, went over his afternoon busing info and Blake and classmates did a few activities with their teacher.  They started right in with French, learning head, shoulders, knees and toes and please and thank you :)  Blake had a blast and was very excited for day 2!  1/2 of his classmates were with him on Tuesday morning and the other 1/2 were scheduled for an hour and 15 min, later in the day!  Wednesday morning was his first full morning with all 19 of his classmates!!  The girls and I walked him to his classroom and watched for a few minutes, with all the other Mom's, all trying not bawl in the hallway!!!  Before dismissal, I drove back to the school to ensure he got on the bus okay.  I wasn't worried, I just wanted to be there for the first time!!  The teacher assistant walks the kids to their bus and ensures they get on the correct one, so there really isn't much room for error ;)  There's only 7 kids on his bus, as it is a kindergarten bus only.  His bus driver is super nice and had met Blake and Cal when he was reviewing his route last week!  After we watched Blake get on his bus, we zipped home to wait for his arrival!!  He was so excited when he got off the bus, he ran straight into my arms for a big hug :)  He is a boy of few words but when we asked him how school was he said, "Good!" with some enthusiasm ;)  We're so proud of you Blake!!!

Emerson's preschool staggered entry day was also Tuesday, which made for a hectic morning!!  Em's preschool starts at 8:45 and ends at 11:15.  This week, 1/2 of the Tue/Thur a.m. class went on Tue and 1/2 on Thur.  So next week, her regular schedule of every Tue and Thur begins and she couldn't be more excited!!  She wants to go to school every day ... I never really thought about how Emerson would be affected by Blake being in Kindergarten but it has been difficult for her.  She wants to be in school when he is and she misses him :(  So sweet but a little bit sad too!!  With her birthday being in February, she could go to kindergarten next year.  I have a feeling she will be ready but I am hesitant to put her in 'early'!  Every kindergarten teacher I've talked to, suggest waiting ... ??  I'm not sure but I am glad we have some time before we have to decided!  I'm hoping her preschool teachers will have some insight for us!!  But back to preschool on Tuesday, we all dropped Em off on Tuesday morning.  Up until Tuesday morning she was very excited to go to "Lago Lindo preschool" but on the way to school on Tuesday morning she decided she wasn't going to go!!  Once we got there and she remembered this was where her princess camp was, she was excited to get in there!!  She had a blast, and the teachers said she did fantastic and had a lot of fun :)  I'm very excited for her and so proud :)  Her teachers seem very nice and the program looks fantastic!  Em is very excited for the field trips and music class but is not sure about yoga and zumba!!!!  She ask's almost daily, "Are we doing yoga tomorrow?"  I don't think she's too keen on it ... ;)  Love you Em, so proud of how well you adjust to these new situations and this year, without your big bro by your side :)

Reese has been so cute these past few days!  She is right in there for all the back to school pictures and insists on carrying her back pack that Auntie Lindsay bought her!!  It's so cute and just the right size, she looks adorable carrying a little backpack ;)  Reese, Em and I went to our first Come Play With Me class of this session, on Wednesday morning after we dropped Blake off.  We had a blast and the girls were very excited to see Miss Christine!  I will hopefully take Reese to Come Play With Me on Tuesday mornings and both girls on Wednesday mornings!  Before I knew Blake and Emerson's school schedules, I was thinking that I would have a lot of time with just Reese at home but as it turns out I have 2 1/2 hours every Tuesday morning!!!  So not much of a break but that is okay!  In a few years they will all be in school (at least part time) and I will be bawling like a baby and unsure of what to do next!!!  lol!

It will be a busy school year ... on top of kindergarten, preschool and come play with me class, all 3 kids start swimming lessons on Friday, Blake starts hockey on Saturday (which will turn in to Saturday and Sunday in the next few weeks), Emerson starts dance classes on Wednesday, I am back to kettlebell classes 2 evenings a week, fitting in a yoga class here and there and hoping to try Zumba at the YMCA and Cal is keeping up with his running and looking into playing hockey 1 night a week!!  Never mind, Blake and Em want to take music lessons (Blake guitar or drums) and Em is not sure but just wants to play all instruments!!  I'm not sure we'll fit those in just yet, we try to have down time as well and although it might not look like it from the above activities, we do!!!

We hope your back to school week is going smoothly and everyone is enjoying their new adventures :)

xoxo
T C B E R

Posing with goofy faces, before PS and KG :)

My babies :)

Ready to go, backpacks packed!!

My loves

Successful first day, all by himself and took the bus home :)