AZ Love!!

 

 

approx 4 am ... little sleep that night for the Cameron family, so excited to fly to Phoenix!!

On the shuttle to the airport :)

#yeg to #yyz to #phx, 1 hr waiting for our Budget rental car, 1 hr drive to Buckeye and finally ... this.  #bliss 

adorable sisters :)

ready to head to the ball park!

hanging out with Grandpa :) at Peoria park for a Mariners vs Royals Spring Training baseball game! (Grandma, Uncle Ken, Auntie Brenda, Sam and Jen were also with us!)

fun in the sun :)

the girls with Grandma and Grandpa :)

the next day Cal, Blake, my Dad and Uncle Ken took in another ball game at Sloan Park (Cubs vs A's)

Blake and Grandpa at the Cubs game!

 

 

 

Breaking up our girls day of shopping with a lunch at Chick-fil-A ... yummmmmyyyy ;)

a roadtrip to Sedona for the day!  so cute to see Blake reading to Reese :)

a nice hike in Sedona.  beautiful scenery.

burning off some of that energy!

lots of time spent in the gorgeous pool :)

I could get used to this view :)

"Take my picture underwater, Mom!!" #littlefish

evening card games (no tv service, no iPads = good 'ol fashioned fun ... like the old days, we told the kids!!)

JUMP!!!! (and repeat ... over and over!!)

2nd stop at Target ... #ihearttarget

boarding our last plane in Calgary, almost home

twinsies ... reading sports mags and talking stats

bff's (most of the time!), sipping apple juice and coloring :)

I really didn't take that many photo's but those were some of the highlights!  We had a fabulous time and were so blessed to have a gorgeous house to stay in!!  A HUGE thank you to Sue and Randy, who own the house (I know they'll never read this but we are so grateful for the use of their gorgeous AZ home).  Thank you to my parents for visiting us and making our time extra special and thank you to my Aunt and Uncle for also visiting us and having fun with us all :)  We were also lucky enough to spend some time with the Donaghey's, thank you Sam and Jen for the yummy dinner and for letting the Cameron kids spend hours in your pool ;)  We also spent lots of time with just the five of us and we loved every moment - so grateful for this time away!!  The highlight of the trip for me, was just seeing how excited the kids were at every moment - we had people all around us on our first flight, smiling at their excitement!!  None of the kids remember their first flights, so it was all new to them and their joy was contagious ... even at 6 in the morning ;)  They're still talking about the trip and I am glad that they are all old enough that they will remember it forever, as will I!!  #heartfull

Hope you enjoyed the photo's!  ttys :)

Marvelous March :)

March is nearly over and I just can't concentrate ... I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!!  I'm about to leave on a jet plane with my 4 favorite people ;)  BUT I did want to re-cap the marvelous month of March before embarking on what will probably be a magnificent ending to marvelous March ;)

~ EMHA playoff's: Blake and the Saints finished off their season with the playoff's!  Many up's and down's with the biggest UP (IMO!) coming on Saturday, March 5th when the team beat the 1st place team in our division!!  This team had moved down from tier 1 and were undefeated!  The Saints played their best game of the season, it was amazing and the entire team, coaching staff and fans were WAY BEYOND excited!  It felt like we had won the Stanley Cup ;)  That exciting.  It may have helped that the boys were within feet of Mr. Mark Messier before the game and a few even got his autograph on their game sticks!  Messier was doing an interview for Home Town Hockey at the arena and everyone was pretty pumped to see him in person!! (although I think some of the mom's were slightly more giddy than the boys!)  I want to back up a bit before moving on to the rest of the playoff's - Blake was soooo sick leading up to the big win I just talked about.  He was sick to his stomach numerous times the Friday night before and Saturday morning.  Very weak, couldn't eat or drink.  I really didn't think he should go to the game and I didn't even know how he could physically play hockey.  Even during the drive to the rink, he fell asleep (which he NEVER does) and had a hard time waking up when we got to the rink.  First of all, when we were still at home, I told him that I didn't think he should play, that he needed to rest and then he'd feel better for the remainder of the play off games.  But he wanted to go.  So once in the van, I told him we could just watch the game ... but he said he was playing.  I was worried about spreading the virus to the rest of the team (earlier in the week anther player was down with a similar illness) but he had not been sick to his stomach since 6:30 am Saturday, so I thought he might be on the mend.  Before the game he drank approx. 1/2 a gatorade and ate 2 soda crackers.  He walked into the rink, put on his dryland gear and warmed up with the team and then proceeded to play one of the best games of his young hockey life!!!  I swear no one in the stands believed me when I told them how sick he was.  We were seriously amazed and impressed!!  I don't know how he did it, I'm not joking when I say he was REALLY sick.  He's a warrior!  So back to the playoff's!  We lost our next game and tied the last game.  With a win, we would have been headed to the final.  It was so close and a great game!  I'm so proud of how far these players came this year and most especially proud of Cal and Blake :)  Blake improved so much and was a very solid D-man.  He loves that position and worked hard every single game.  He's a total team player, not concerned with goals or assists, just determined to do his best every single game and practice and I could not be more proud of him!!!  Cal developed these players and worked hard every single day for this team.  He put 110% into the team and I loved watching him learn along side the kids and lead this fine young group :) He dealt with some difficult situations with such dignity and respect for everyone around him, I really commend him. I would have lost my mind and my temper but he really kept his cool.  So proud (did I mention that already?!) 

~ Veeteretz Ukrainian Dance Family Night: The girls, Cal, my Mom, my Grandma Kelley and I attended this event on March 5th (after being so sick and playing hockey, Blake was completely wiped out and headed home with my Dad.  He literally had nothing left in him.  He didn't even want to eat supper, he pretty much went to bed immediately!)!  We had sooooo much fun at the family night!  The food, drinks, entertainment and dance were top notch ;)  The girls had so much fun with their friends and Cal and his friend Eric were the best bartenders ;)  It was a great night. Em claims that she wants to dance next year, just so she can go to the Family Fun Night, lol!!

~ Ringette: Emerson and Reese finished up their ringette season!!  Emerson enjoyed ringette last year but this year she fell in love with ringette!  She absolutely loved every minute and she improved a great deal!  We are so proud of her :)  She can't wait to play next season and even asked me if their is a 3 on 3 ringette league that she can play in this spring.  So cute!!  There isn't for her age but I'm sure in the future, the opportunity will be there!  Reese is not sure if she'll play ringette next year.  She did so well this year, we are also very proud of her but she wasn't crazy about the games.  She told me that she likes the practices but not the games!  She also told me that she is happy when the other team wins because she would feel bad if they were sad.  I nearly died.  Such a sweetheart!!  I do wonder if competitive sports are her 'thing', I have a feeling they may not be!!  But we'll continue to introduce her to various sports and activities, as we try to do with all 3 kids and I'm sure one day she'll fall in love with something or maybe even a few things!!  She really loves her swimming lessons and she misses her music class, so we will have to continue on with those!  Secretly I hope that next fall she does want to play ringette but we definitely won't force her :) Both girls improved a lot this season and it was a pleasure to watch the learn and grow and Cal and I had fun coaching them! 

~ Other Saints business: The Saints mom's also had a ladies night out, in amongst the playoff madness :)  We had a gigglin', cocktail sippin', appetizer and dessert eatin' great time!! Many, many laughs and hilarious stories!!  And I don't think we even discussed hockey ;)  There were some fabulous hockey momma's on this team and I'm so glad to have met some new friends and to have grown closer with my bff hockey momma's ;)  God forbid we're not on the same team next year, I may cry.  lol!  We finished the season with a wind-up party on the 24th.  All the families and players came together for one last hurrah!  It was a great evening!

~ Wizards lacrosse: For some reason our lacrosse club decided to begin evaluations during the week of hockey playoff's ... geez louise!!  Fortunately Blake only had to miss one evaluation!  He's very happy to be back at lacrosse and I'm happy to be back watching ;)  I love this sport!!!

~ Report Cards and Demo of Learning: Report cards came home on the 18th and we attended Demonstration of Learning on March 23rd.  Blake and Emerson's report cards were phenomanal.  I could go on and on but I won't, other than to say they are excelling in grades 1 and 3 and we are extremely pleased :)  Kindergartener's do not get a formal report card so we had to wait until the Demo to see how Reese was doing!  She's is also doing great and getting ready for grade 1!!  Demo is always a fun night, it is so nice to have the kids lead us through their classrooms and to see how proud they are of their work :)

~ Visit with the Hrdlicka's: Near the end of the month, we snuck in a playdate/lunch with our bestie's.  It was great to catch-up and as a bonus, we got to take a peek in Brandon's 'Batmobile' aka RCMP dog handler Suburban!!  It's pretty cool, to say the least!  Blake was in awe ;)

~ Baseball practice: And just because Blake isn't active enough (bahahaha), he attended a few baseball practices this month.  The league he'll be playing in hosted drop in practices for 7-12 yr olds.  Of course, he had a blast and was lucky enough to actually get to play out side, as our weather has been so mild!

Throw in numerous playdates and birthday parties and there you have our March :)  We said 'see ya soon' to my parents at the beginning of the month, as they began their spring travels!  And now we wait for our Spring Break Vacay!!!  EEEEEKKKKK!!  Get me on that plane and in the sun ;)  Talk to y'all soon!!

~ Tracy

Mr. & Mrs. Cameron

So what have Cal and I been up to?!  We're important too, right ;)

Cal's been busy with work, coaching and a bit of NP!  And dad-duties, of course ;)  Work-wise I can't provide the most accurate updates as I myself don't completely understand the technicalities of his position but I do know a lot of his time is taken up by fibre optics!  And meetings ... tons of meetings!!  And I also know that for many of these meetings he provides lunch which usually involves leftovers for the family, lol.  Hey, it's the small things ;)  Coaching takes up a large majority of his time.  From practice planning to game strategizing to dealing with the shit that goes with the job (yeah, I said it!), it is a very time consuming volunteer role!  But very rewarding at times!!  Such as yesterday when the Saints beat the top team in our tier!  A team that was moved down to tier 2 from tier 1, in round 3 of the regular season.  The team played so well and Coach Cal was very proud (as were all the fans and parents!)!!  We won't talk about the shitty side of coaching, lol ;)  Cal makes it to NP almost every Wednesday and every Friday.  He misses a lot of Monday's because his dad duties are a little extra on Monday's, as he drives the kids to school in the morning.  He has been dealing with an injury these past few weeks.  We hoped that new runners would help cure the problem but they haven't so he will need to see a Dr. or a P.T. possibly.  His Achilles has been bothering him after a few km's of running or walking :(  Hopefully he can deal with it asap, as he should be training for his 1/2 marathon in April, followed by Sinister 7 in July, followed by his full marathon in August.  Cal's getting ready for spring hockey as he joins his co-worker for Friday night hockey with a group made up of mostly EPSB teachers.  He had a great time last year on the team and is looking forward to playing with the same group again.

I am doing well, keeping busy with the usual!!  I feel like I'm a full-time (plus OT) Mom, part-time O.T.A. and part-time wife (sorry Cal, lol!)!  I LOVE my job and am happy to report I was the successful candidate for the permanent, full-time posting!  The lady who I was covering for decided not to come back after her sick leave.  I'm so excited to be permanent and know that I will be returning to this position in September!  I love my job.  I'm actually happy to go to work.  It's kind of bizarre to me and I hope this feeling lasts ;)  So far so good!!  I remember starting a new job when I returned to work after Blake was born and loving that job, too!  Unfortunately my role changed a few months into that new position and I didn't love it quite as much as when I started.  Hopefully there won't be any major changes to this new role!  I'm happy driving to work and happy driving home, it's a wonderful feeling. Other than work and mom duties, I don't have much to report - other than I can not keep up with housework and laundry and 75% of the time I am able to pull together a good meal at supper time ;)  Since having Reese, I don't think I've kept out with housework and laundry, so nothing new there.  For the most part I don't let it bother me, water off a duck's back and all that good stuff, but there are times when I feel like I'm being choked by laundry and housework!!  Then I take a deep breathe and relax and let it go!!  I've helped our hockey teams manger a lot this year.  I'm the treasurer but we've pretty much just shared manager and treasurer duties.  It's fun and I enjoy being involved!  I usually manage to have coffee once a week with my good friend Jodi, which is always so nice!  I'm still on the school council at the kids school and really enjoy that.  We're currently organizing our 2nd annual pasta dinner and silent auction.  I've said for years now (probably 5) that I need to start getting to bed early and waking up early to work out before the kids are up ... but yeah, that has not happened!  I am a night owl.  I love the quiet evenings!  Even if I am folding laundry, tidying up, making lunches, etc, I really enjoy the peace and quiet :) So although I know I should change my ways, I haven't gotten there yet ...

Cal and I have been getting out for at least one date night every month, for the most part.  We're so glad that our neighbour Stephanie is finally old enough to babysit and even more happy that the kids like her and she is a great babysitter!!  I know she doesn't get them to bed on time most nights but that's alright.  They're usually busy playing games and making crafts (that she plans and brings all the supplies for!)!

So there's a quick update on the Mr. and Mrs. of the house ;)

Talk to you soon!

~Tracy

More cake and more ice time!!

I told ya February was a full month ;)  

On the 20th we celebrated my Mom's birthday but before dinner at the Stecyk's, we were in Beaumont for a ringette jamboree and then at the Meadow's for Blake's hockey game!  The girls had so much fun at the jamboree.  This was our second year participating and it is such a wonderful event.  One day, two games per team, 1/2 ice and just a lot of fun!  I think it's really great for the beginner ringette players.  I know the full ice games were too much for Reese but these 1/2 ice games were perfect for her!  Em had fun too although she's definitely more than ready for full ice games, all the time!!  It was so great to see Em and her teammates hanging out between games :)  As we were watching them, we commented that, that is really what this is all about - making new friends and life-long memories :)  

After ringette and hockey we headed to the grocery store for some groceries and then to Lindsay's for dinner and dessert :)  It was a great evening!  

Happy Birthday to the world's best Mom!!!  I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more, I don't know what I'd do without her!  We hope she had a wonderful day (albeit at the rink!!) and has another wonderful year ahead :)  xoxoxo

Happy Birthday to Emerson!!

On the 16th Em turned 7!!  7?!  That seems wrong some how ... how is she 7?  My goodness, my teeny little 6lb 11 oz baby girl is 7.  February is a whirl wind of activity in our house but we made sure to fit in a special dinner for Em on her birthday!  My parents and the Stecyk's joined us for dinner at Montanna's in St. Albert.  We met right after school, before hockey practice and Ukrainian dancing ;)  Em got to wear the traditional Montanna's horns and remarked that they felt very heavy!!  

On the 19th, a few of Emerson's closest friends and cousins helped her celebrate her birthday at the Edmonton Humane Society.  The kids spent the majority of the time visiting with various animals - puppies, cats, a snake, a bunny, a ferret and a bearded dragon!  Em loved every minute, she is such an animal lover!!  The puppies were her favorite and one in particular really took a liking to her, curling up in her lap :)  It was so cute!!  Thank you to everyone who joined Em at her party, she loves all her gifts and was so happy to spend time with her friends and cousins!  I'll share a few photo's below.

Happy Birthday, Em the gem!!  We love you beyond words and are so very proud of you.  You are one smart, hard working, helpful and loving girl!  We can always count on you to help in any and every situation, whether it be dusting around the house, washing dishes, helping your little sister, cleaning your brother's room (what a lucky boy to have a sister like you!!), etc, etc, you are so helpful and we greatly appreciate that trait :) You gift us with beautiful drawings every day, often titled "I Love You Mom/Dad".  You bring big smiles to our faces and we love you beyond words!!  xoxo

Opening gifts the morning of her birthday :)

Dinner at Montanna's and gifts from the Stecky's and G&G!

The Montanna's horns and birthday song!!

Craft time at the Humane Society!

So much fun in the puppy room :)

Lovin' the puppy kisses!!!

I adore this photo - pure joy :)

Blowing out her candles on her birthday ice cream sundae (which she requested, as she doesn't like cake!)!!

The party-goers!

Em and Tickles, the snake ;)

Holding the bearded dragon!

A quick family photo at home, after the party :)

Tournament long weekend!!

Phew, this family day long weekend was a 'tad' busy ;)  Blake and the Saints were in the Stollery Family Day Classic, Emerson and the blue blizzard and Reese and the purple panda's were in the Sweetheart Ringette Tournament.  I will admit, I was crossing my fingers that I'd make it to Monday evening.  Good news is, I made it!!  WE made it!  And we all enjoyed ourselves ;)  Sending a HUGE thank you to all of our friends and family who supported Blake and the Stollery Children's Foundation.  Cal, Blake and I all appreciate your support of this wonderful cause.  To date the Stollery Family Day Classic has raised over 1.5 million dollars!  Blake had fun in the Stollery tournament.  They didn't come away with a medal but had very close games and fun as a team!  

We all enjoyed the Sweetheart Tournament, it was fun to not only watch Reese and Emerson and their teams play but to catch one of my sister's games, catch up with a few players from my past, watch my niece Jenna's team play and spend time with the Stony Plain Cameron's and my parents!  The girls also loved the photo booth ;)  They were very proud of their medals and had a fabulous weekend!

We capped the long weekend off with lunch and a visit in Stony Plain!  It was nice to slow down and relax :)  I want to send a big thank you to my parents who helped us get Reese to her game on Friday, volunteered to time keep and were the kids' biggest cheer leaders!!  Thank you, thank you!!  

Here's a few photo's from our awesome weekend:

My favorite hockey player, ready for the Stollery tournament!!

Emerson, Reese and Jenna - Ringette cousins!!

Proud of my girls!

Cal and the girls :)

Happy Birthday, Mr. Cameron!!

On February 11th we celebrated Cal's birthday!  Cal and Em had ringette practice that night so we had an early dinner and Cal's birthday cake right after school - two of his favorites, lasagna and black forest cake!  The kids always enjoy celebrating birthdays and went all out as soon as we got home, making decorations for the house and decorating the table.  They put party hats, necklaces and name place cards out, it was so cute!  Cal, I know your day was busy and full (as they all are at this point in our lives!) but I hope you felt the love around you!  We love you so much :) Here's to another 30-something year, I have a feeling it will be great!!  xoxo