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

Church Pageant

Sunday, December 15th was our Church Pageant.  The kids had been practicing during the previous few Sunday's and they did great!!  Reese did not participate, maybe next year!  She was not on her best behavior, not just at Church but all day.  We're not sure why!  Em knew every line, action and song by heart and Blake confidently delivered his one line, "I is for in God's love!"  Blake was quite nervous and had told us a few times, "I'm not going."  lol!  But he went and he rocked it ;)  It was fun for them to be a part of the pageant this year, as we missed last years!  We're looking forward to the PJ Church service on Christmas Eve.  It's like a birthday party for Jesus - complete with cake!

We're busy, busy, busy with Christmas preparations - shopping, baking, getting classmate and teacher gifts together, etc, etc.  I intended to volunteer for Santa's anonymous one Friday evening but with freezing rain, I didn't want to drive to the south side.  Another volunteer opportunity has popped up and I'm very excited to contribute.  This Sunday evening I am going to be handing out chili, hot chocolate, warm clothing and homemade baking at the Hope Mission in downtown Edmonton.  I joined a local group called, S.M.I.L.E. (Supporting Many Individuals by Lending Encouragement) Edmonton , and hope to volunteer more in the future.

Wishing everyone a great week-leading up to Christmas!!  Em and Blake's last day of school tomorrow and we are all off until January 6th - can not wait for some down time and family time :)

Take care,

Tracy

Pardon Me?!

Yesterday we were talking about Christmas and the kids were excitedly talking about how many sleeps until Santa comes, what they're going to get for Christmas, etc, etc.  I'll often try to remind them about the real meaning of Christmas and as I was starting to do my spiel yesterday, Emerson interrupted and did it for me!!  It's so interesting how she, more so than Reese and Blake, soaks up everything she hears at Sunday school.  After finishing my sentence, Emerson pauses and says, "And you know what I want the most for Christmas?"  I said, "No I don't, what do you want the most for Christmas?"  Emerson says, "My families love."  Now where in the world would she have heard that or came up with that from?!?  She often catches us so off guard with the things she says!!!!

~ Tracy

Family Date!

Today was family date day in our house!!  Blake and Cal had hockey practice early this morning and when they got home we told the kids we were taking them to the Disney movie Frozen and then out for supper.  They were sooooo excited, I love seeing them that way :)  I said, "Hey guys, do you want to go see Frozen this afternoon and then to BP's for supper?"  Blake said, "Whaaaat???!!  Frozen, the movie?!  YEAHHHHH!!!!"  Em and Reese were also bouncing around, excited!  I love, love, love that what we think are 'simple' things, continue to excite them.  We will enjoy that for as long as we can!!!

The movie was awesome, we all enjoyed it.  This was Reese's 1st movie theatre experience and she did great!  She sat in her own seat for a little over an hour and then stood up to stretch out and sit on Cal's lap for the remainder of the movie :)  After the movie we went to BP's and had a nice dinner!  It was a great afternoon/evening!

Tomorrow the kids are in the pageant at Church.  I'm not sure if Reese will participate ... I've brought her to the last 2 Sunday school classes and she has rehearsed but I'm not sure she'll want to participate in front of the entire congregation!!  We'll play it by ear!  Em is ready to go, she knows all her parts, songs, etc and Blake is nervous!!  He has one line, "I is for in God's love."  I will let you know how it goes ... hopefully he can overcome his shyness and deliver his line!!

ttyl :)

Tracy