Jeepers ... it's June?!

Blake and his Pewee C lax team participated in the Baggataway lax tournament on the weekend of June 8. They played hard and came away with a silver medal! Their coaches are involved with the Miners lax club and they got to use the Miners dressing room all weekend, which is a cool perk ;)

I was lucky enough to take some time off to attend a field trip with Blake and his grade 5 class. We explored Lois Hole Provincial Park and learned all about the Wetlands from Ducks Unlimited Canada. It was an excellent field trip and I can't believe we haven't been to Lois Hole Provincial Park, it's beautiful out there! Lots of walking trails and you really feel as though you're in the country but you're only 5 minutes from the city :) We'll have to take Quinn for a walk there one day soon!!

On the weekend of June 16th Blake and friends participated in the Top Shelf 3 on 3 street hockey tournament! They went undefeated and came home with the gold!! The North side Kings dominated!! It was a fun weekend with friends, watching our boys kick some butt!!

On June 21st the girls had their music recitals. Each at different locations but scheduled so we could make both :) Reese played her piano piece beautifully and then we enjoyed hearing Em on the guitar :) This wraps up their music lessons for the summer. They might start again in the fall!

From June 25-27 I was on jury duty! I could not believe I was selected and quite honestly, this was not the time I wanted to be selected as those are the only dates I had off, all to myself, before the kids were off school!! My last day of work until September 1st was June 22. But it did all work out and I actually enjoyed the process. It was a tough case but I found the entire process to be very interesting and I am glad I had the learning experience. Now next time, I hope it's only work I have to miss and not 3 days of freedom ... lol!!

And suddenly, it was the last day of school!! Oh how the time flies! Our grade 5, 3 and 2 graduates were excited for summer vacation and we kicked it off with our annual spray park play date with friends :) The sun was out and we all had a great time!

We're looking forward to our summer vacation time, can't wait to get back to Penticton!!

Talk to you soon,

Tracy

Introducing .. Quinn Jasper Cameron

We are pawsitively smitten with our new addition!! It felt like it took forever to get her but she is finally home and we love her to death! Quinn was adopted from a local rescue - h.a.r.t. Edmonton. They rescue dogs from reservations around the Edmonton area. Quinn's mom was rescued at the beginning of March and had 9 puppies while in foster care! Quinn's birth date is March 15 and we adopted her officially on May 24th. She began her life as Debbie but after much deliberation, we all agreed on Quinn! Her FULL name is Quinn Jasper Cameron :) Quinn is a border collie/lab cross, with a possibility of other breeds!! I'd love to do a doggie dna test on her one day!! She is adorable, so soft and cute with her white nose, chest, feet and white on the tip of her tail!! She's quite shy right now but attached to me quite quickly! On Victoria Day when Cal and I went to meet the puppies, we had to give the rescue our top 2 choices. They then called us to let us know which puppy they thought would be the best match for our family (prior to this I had submitted an application and then did a phone interview). A volunteer from h.a.r.t then brought Quinn over to spend a day with us. Before she left, she did a home inspection. They are very thorough!! We loved having Quinn and she did wonderful, it was very hard to see her leave that evening, we just wanted to keep her! After some more paperwork and a spay appointment she was finally ours and home to stay :) Her first days with us were a bit hectic, with Blake being in the the Parkland Lacrosse Tournament!! She spent some time at my mom and dad's and hanging outside the arena in Beaumont!! But she did great! She seems to struggle a bit with meeting new people, especially men, but I'm sure as the days pass she will learn to trust more. She sleeps okay at night but her foster mom got all the puppies up at 5:30 am so I'm working on changing her wake up time!! The first night we had her, we weren't sure where she'd sleep so I lifted her up on to our bed and she immediately started chewing on my hair and arms and licking me like crazy!! So I thought, "NOPE!!" lol! And put her in her kennel. She fell fast asleep ... and is sleeping in her kennel! Which is actually very nice! Cal works from home most days and will try to work from home for all of June. Then I am off for the summer, so that will hopefully give us a good head start on training! She has had a few accidents in the house, but we take her out quite often and I think she's picking up on house training! Fingers crossed!!! It's so nice to have a dog in the house again but a lot of work ;) We really want to work hard with Quinn to train her well, especially considering she will be quite a large dog! Here are a few cute photo's to tide you over until the next post ;) Enjoy!! Love you so much Quinn, glad we found you!!

Adoption Photo!!

Quinn (Debbie) and her D litter, litter mates!!

Hey May - where'd ya go?!

Blake's 11th birthday was May 5th! The girls and I had a long day planned in Fort Saskatchewan for Emerson's year end dance recital and Blake and Cal went to Blake's lacrosse game. After dance and lacrosse, we celebrated our birthday boy with DQ ice cream cake! The next day we met the Stecyk's and G&G D at Soda Jerks for a birthday dinner and came back to our house for Grandma D's famous carrot cake (birthday boys request!!) Blake wanted to see the new Star Wars movie (SOLO) for his birthday so we waited until yesterday (June 1) to have his birthday party. He had Dante, Brogin, Max and Gavin over for tacos and Fortnite and then we took all the kids to the movie. He had a blast and we all loved the movie!!

Em's year end dance recital was fabulous!! It was a long, busy day but she did so well in the welcome dance and in her group dances :) She was invited to be a part of the welcome dance this year, which meant extra rehearsals and being at the theater extra early. But she did so well and loved it and we just LOVE watching her dance!! Another dance year is over and she has grown and learned so much, we're so proud of her! She seemed to love dance more this year, which is awesome. She definitely bonded more with her group, which makes a big difference!

Our May weekends and evenings seemed a bit slower for us and we all enjoyed our down time, which often led into bike rides, slurpee runs, street hockey, lacrosse and baseball!! But also more iPad time, X-box time and iPhone time (lets be honest). Loved it though and really appreciated a less 'scheduled' calendar :)

On May 12 we headed to the horse races after Blake's lax practice! It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. We didn't bet much, so we didn't win much but we enjoyed hanging out at the track, seeing the horses and cheering on our favorites!! Cal and I used to go to the horse races a lot pre-kids and we've been a few times with the kids when they were little but haven't been in awhile! If we win the lotto, we're buying a horse!!! lol! We will try to go back every summer, we all enjoyed it :)

Our year end Church BBQ seems to always fall on Mother's Day which makes me slightly grumpy but by the end of the day, my mood has always turned around ;) I help plan and cook for the BBQ so it is a busy morning! We had a nice BBQ at my parents house that evening :)

May long weekend was a great first camping trip of the year!! We left Friday after work and had pretty good weather! Can't complain! The kids got out on the tube, Reese also kneeboarded and they all fished as well! The Scott's and Streadwick's weren't with us this year but the Pasko's and Stagg's were and we had a great time. On holiday Monday Cal and I packed up and left the kids with Mom and Dad, as we had an appointment to meet some puppies from H.A.R.T. Edmonton!!! (more on that to come!)

On the weekend of the 25th, Blake and the Wizards played in the Parkland Spring Classic lax tournament. They came in 3rd place and fought hard all weekend. I try very hard not to complain about officials but they were sure questionable this weekend :( Blake and team came in 3rd. Emerson also had her first birthday sleepover that weekend and had a lot of fun but very little sleep!!! A right of passage, I suppose ;)

That pretty much wraps up May! There was a lot of excitement at the end of the month but I will share that in a separate post!!

Wrapping up April

~ Blake and the KC Cougars were lucky enough to win a spot in the Ford Drills & Skills Train Like A Pro day at Rogers Place! Thank you to everyone who voted, this is an amazing opportunity for these young hockey players :) They had a great day experiencing a day in the life of a pro hockey player! 

~ Despite the cold, windy weather, we went ahead with a photo shoot for Emerson and Reese and boy oh boy am I ever glad we did!! Their photos turned out beautiful :)

~ lax started and we had our first bottle drive! We seem to be bottle drive pro's by now ;) Many people don't enjoy bottle drives and it's not that we really 'love' bottle drives but it is a great way to raise some money for a team and the kids have fun doing it!! So win-win - team bonding and raising funds for the expense of youth sports!!

~ We had a nice dinner with our niece Kourtney and great-niece Aurora! Aurora just turned 1 and is such a sweetheart!!

~ We got some great news towards the end of the month, when I logged on to Class Dojo and saw two amazing messages!! One from Emerson's teacher, letting me know that the bake sale her and a friend planned raised $401.05. All funds were donated to the Stollery Children's Hospital :) The second message was from Reese's teacher. She wanted to let us know that Reese's reading has improved dramatically and she has gone up about 6 reading levels!! Very, very proud parent moment! Way to go girls, we are soooooo proud of you both!

~ At the end of April my mom picked Emerson and I up for a quick day trip to North Battleford, SK! Emerson has in a dance competition! Thank you so much to my mom for driving us, it made the road trip that much better!! Em's group did amazing, earning two golds! We also had a nice visit with my mom's cousin and her husband. She was very close to my Grandma Kelley and it was nice to get a visit in :)

Humboldt Strong

April began with a tragic accident near my parents home town of Tisdale, SK. The Humboldt tragedy really hit us hard. We eat, sleep, breathe and live hockey for so many months of the year and to hear of and see the devastation this accident caused was really, really tragic and hit close to home. It hit so much closer to home for so many others but somehow this crazy world of hockey is small in the grand scheme of things. As a hockey mom, your heart hurts for the hockey moms who lost their hockey boys. As a coaches wife, your heart breaks for Darcy's wife and children. It is so easy to imagine yourself in that position and yet unimaginable to fathom the devastation in these families homes.This tragedy while devastating the nation also brought us all closer together. Thousands of dollars raised for the victims and their families and thousands of people brought together to help in any and every way imaginable. It was remarkable to see that amongst all the devastation, there was a light and there was so much love and hope. Cal, Blake and Reese were able to attend a Vigil and skate at the CAC arena on April 12th. Emerson and I were at dance and I couldn't`t help but think of the 3 of them. After Em`s performance we called Cal and he said it was incredible to see all the support in the arena, just as we`d witnessed in the news and all across social media. We pray for everyone involved in this tragedy - from the players, coaches, trainer, bus driver, semi truck driver, friends, families, emergency responders and all those who have been affected and touched by this event. #weareallbroncos #humboldtstrong #hockeystrong #hockeyfamily 

Marvelous March

Oh dear ... I sure would like to have more regular updates here but alas, this is not the 'blogging' season in my life ;) March seemed to fly by and the weather really did not help my mood! Or the mood of many yeggers!! Come on spring ... we NEED you!!! In sticking with what works best for me (aka most efficient), here are my top bullets of this month!!

• Mar 2: a day at Sundridge with the Anderson's! Thank you teachers for having a convention :) The kids enjoyed a day on the slopes but it was VERY windy :( Although the wind didn't hold us back much, we did turn in a little earlier in the afternoon.
• Mar 3: a bunch of ringette gals try fastball!! Em and friends went to a 'Come Try Softball' event at ACT! She loved it and is considering playing this spring :)
• Mar 9: Rustic sign night with friends at Brewsters - super fun night out and a nice sign to come home with! Mine says, "The Mountains are calling and I must go!"
• Mar 10: Veeteretz Dance Festival and 2 GOLD medals! Emerson and I had a great weekend at the festival. Her group did amazing, I was so proud of them!! I volunteered all day Saturday - handing out medals and keeping the instructors/adjuticators room stocked and clean. The adjudicator chose Em's group to perform in the showcase on Sunday, as well!!  
• Mar 11: Reese and the Blue Dragons participated in the AS2 jamboree in Sherwood Park! Two games in one day, with a pizza party and play gym fun in between! They had a blast and played two really great games :)
• Mar 11: Last game of the year for the Ice Queens :( Emerson and the Ice Queens lost their last playoff game, ending their season. They were sad but had a great season together. Emerson made some new friends and had a blast!
• Mar 15: Demonstration of Learning at Ecole Bishop Savaryn! Demo of learning is always an exciting time. I love having the kids show me around their classroom and explain to me what they've been learning about and working on. Em's teacher did a super cool "Hollywood" theme which was very neat! And I teared up when I read about Reese's accomplishments thus far ... she's grown so much, has worked so hard and is doing amazing! Blake blew me away with his computer skills and the Google Slides show he made! I can't believe how quickly kids pick up on things and as always, I am so proud of how well they are doing in school :)
• Mar 17: KC Cougars wind-up party!! We had an awesome 3 on 3 re-match followed by a family skate and dinner at Boston Pizza on Whyte Ave! It was a fun afternoon/evening! Sad to say good bye to this amazing team of players and families. It's been a great year and we've all become so close. So much fun with this group!!
• Mar 24: The Cougars parents had such a great season, we decided to have a KC Cougars parents only wind up party ;) The kids stayed at the Stecyk's and Cal and I had a blast! Thanks to the Flippers for hosting but you could have slowed down a little on the "shots shots shots", lol!!!!
• Mar 26 to 30: Spring Break!!! Praise the Lord, we all needed a break!! Cal was busy at work and couldn't take any time off but the kids and I headed out of town for a night! We left early in the morning and headed down hwy 2 to Calgary. We stopped at Cross Iron Mills (new shoes for all!) and then stayed at the Best Western Port o' Call in Calgary. We had such a great time! The water slides and pool are top notch (for a hotel) and the kids spent hours swimming and playing. We ate at the restaurant in the hotel and ordered room service dessert and a pay per view movie, it was wonderful! The only thing that would have made it better would have been having Cal with us. We promised the kids we'd all go back to that hotel one day!!
• Easter: Spring Break ended with Easter. We had the Cameron's over on the 30th after dinner at Tony Roma`s :) And then we celebrated Easter at Church on April 1. The kids did the annual easter egg hunt before Church and we had a chill day at home after Church :) 

Take care everyone, we`ll talk again next month!!!

Fabulous February!

Re-capping February in the ever-popular 'bullet style' ...

• Feb 3: Oilers Skills competition with the Cougars followed by the Coast 2 Coast Winter Classic! As participants in the Ford Drills and Skills Competition, Blake's hockey team won tickets to the Oilers Skill competition! As always, it was a great time and a lot of fun to see the Oilers 'show off'!! Bonus, this year one of the KC Pewee AA teams was chosen to participate along side the Oilers so we knew quite a few players on the ice which was pretty cool! After the Oilers Skills competition we rushed over to Cal's Coast 2 Coast Winter Classic. It was really cold that day so we caught glimpses of the game but had to stay warm inside!! This group puts on such a great event!! They think of every detail, very neat!
• Feb 11: Connor and Mason has a ninja-themed party at My Gym and the kids had a blast!! We then celebrated Cal turnring the big 39 :) 4-0 next year, wow!!
• Feb 16: Emerson's 9th birthday (see separate post!)!!
• Feb 17-19: We headed to Bonnyville to attend the Winterland Invitation in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northern Alberta. Another great out of town tournament with the KC Cougars. From hallway mini stick games to adult hallway parties, we had a blast!! And bonus, the team brought home a gold medal!! Great weekend with a great team :) We could have drove home on Sunday night but decided to spend another night as it was Family Day Monday the next day. So glad we did, another night with friends!!
• And last but not least, Mom and Dad left for their southern vacation. We'll miss them but can't wait to hear about their travels!!

xo

Tracy