The Whole Ten Yards

1st Movie!

2012-01-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

In the theatre anyways!

In the photo above, is Peyton, Josie and 'Auntie Gina'. We all went and saw 'Beauty and the Beast' in 3D (hence the magical glasses).Thanks to Gina for being my helper at the movie, but honestly we did have a great time and it was so awesome watching them enjoy it. They whispered to each other in the theatre to be quiet and lots of 'oooohss and awwwws' and 'Wow, it's like magic!'. So cute! There was a little falling asleep at the end on Josie's part, probably because of her sleepover the night before, but Peyton was fully into it! They had popcorn to share and a slurpee afterwards! Can't get much better!

A weekend for Peyton

2012-01-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (Saturday) we did Peyton's birthday party at McDonald's. Peyton's at an age now where she is asking for parties because she has been to a few, so when she asked in December, we had so much going with Christmas that we said we would in January. Well, January came and I had secretly hoped that it would be forgotten about, but apparently this is something too important for a 4 year old, so I quickly booked a party at McDonald's. I picked it because I remember having and going to quite a few there when I was a kid. When I phoned, I found out that not all of them do it anymore, but there was one not far away that we were able to get in.

We had 9 kids including ours (no camera, sorry!), the playplace, a hostess, coloring, happy meals and of course the cake. It was only a few hours, but they did manage to make a pretty good mess and the best part.....I didn't have to clean up! Yay! Peyton and her friends all seemed to have a good time and that's the main thing!

This was the cake, which I made myself with the help of 'Betty Crocker'. The cake topper was from her other cake which I bought so a good reuse and maybe even Sienna will be into Belle or I'll paint her!
After the party, Peyton and Mom went skating with her friend Olivia and then on Sunday we went as a family to the little firepit rink by our house.

Here's Peyton, granted a little tired, but she was still up for it.

Poor Sienna, wanted her skates on so badly and we weren't allowed to take them off, but she gets so frustrated when she can't do it on her own. Next year she'll get there!

This is a throw in for Sienna, because it's always about Peyton. This is her helping vacuum! Love this stage where she wants to help all the time!

I'm A Big Kid Now!!??

2012-01-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Peyton turned 4 one month ago, and since then we have been trying to get her to leave her bedroom when she needs to use the toilet. We had a portable toddler "potty" in her room, which we used to help train her. However, as long as the potty was in her room, she was quite content to go 1 or 2 (gross) in the friendly confines of her own bedroom. Two weeks ago, we went cold turkey and took the potty out of her room. Things were going well - we would leave the door open a crack and a nightlight on -until yesterday when we opened her door after her nap (we are still holding on to this, although it won't be for much longer) and a waft of pungent odor - which we quickly associated with urine - hit us like a ton of bricks. One of us dashed for the bed and the other for Peyton's pants, however we both came up dry. Slightly confused and hoping my next instinct was wrong, I sauntered over to the corner and peered into the garbage can....And what did I find? A solid inch of pee mixed in with paper and other debris. Caught between anger and laughter we didn't really know what to do, except a lengthy discussion on why she better never do that again. Here's hoping the message sinks in.

Not to be out done, Nina (who can now properly say her own name "Sienna"), who had walked around in the snow, dirt and ice - thought it would be a great idea to take her boot off while she was buckled into her car seat, turn it upside down and start licking the bottom of the boot as though we had just given her an ice cream cone. I noticed it in the rear view mirror, but by the time I did, she had dirt, snow and who knows what kind of germs all over her. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Santa Clause has come to Towne

2012-01-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Fairly pathetic that the first week of January is over and we are just getting to our Xmas blog. Another sign of the times I suppose. I love this Christmas sweater that we finally managed to convince Peyton to put this sweater on - for some reason she wasn't as pumped to wear this. She is quite particular and you never really know what things she will like. Peyton was supper excited this year to have Santa come and I think her enthusiasm rubbed off on Nina - who was always walking around the house saying "ho,ho,ho merry Chwismas".

On Christmas Eve we let the kids open one strategically chosen present - new princess pajamas - which they are sporting very proudly above. The kids left Santa two cookies, some carrots for the reindeer and of course a nice big glass of Shiraz to help keep the big guy warm. Peyton was concerned that Santa might eat her recently constructed Gingerbread house, so we had to leave Mr. Kringle a note advising Santa to leave the gingerbread house alone. After the cookies and stuff were out, we watched Mickey's Christmas Carrol - a favourite of mine. Everyone (Grandad, Papa, Grandma, and Uncle Brad) had a good time and enjoyed the excitement of the kids as much as the cheese and appies that we put out.

Christmas morning, surprisingly Meg and I were up prior to the kids and we were able to go downstairs and enjoy a cup of tea before the chaos started. The calm before the storm....We finally got them out of bed around 8:30 and after that it was a lot ripping, opening, tearing and screaming. The end result was a bunch of gifts for everyone and pure carnage in the house. Peyton got this Belle doll from Santa which was a nice fit for the tickets we gave to my parents and Peyton to see the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast on New Years Day (she absolutely loved the show by he way). Sienna received an Elmo Alpha learn. Unfortunately for her Santa's quality control department let this toy slip through the cracks, as it did not work. She had to wait until we could take it back to Santa's Satellite workshop (Toys R us).

The girls also enjoyed breaking into any and all chocolate they received (so did I for that matter) and we also feasted on Robins traditional Christmas fry up complete with bangers, bacon, eggs, beans, tomatoes, shrooms, potatoes, baileys/coffe, and mimosas. Not surprisingly Meg and I were both feeling a little queasy in the afternoon. The weather this year has been amazing - and the xmas break was no exception. It was usually well into the plus temperatures and we were able to go for a nice walk on xmas day. It certainly helped make room for the xmas dinner that Robin cooked, which also included my parents and my brother.

Megan got me some new sunglasses and some ski gloves (both of which were on my list) - I later found a pair of ski gloves that I bought at Costco in mid November which I totally forgot about. Meg's were way better so I took the duplicate pair back to Costco. I got Meg a new pair of UGGS - I wasn't able to get her the exact pair she wanted (I didn't set foot in a mall until Dec 22) as they were out of stock, but I think she was happy with the other pair just the same.

I took the 3 days off in between xmas and New Years. We didn't do a heck of a lot, although I did manage to take Peyton to watch some local midget hockey. She loves the goalies and the Zamboni. We literally have to watch and wave to the Zamboni as it goes around lap by lap. The above photo was taken at a local restaurant we went to one night. Meg and I had a pint (or two) and the kids had fries and grilled cheese. We had a few other activities planned, but Robin had to have emergency surgery to reattach his retina - which had detached one morning when he woke up. He is doing much better now, although we did have to convince him to take his pain medication. He was in obvious pain/discomfort the first day, but did not want to take his prescription pain meds. He finally relented after enough pestering from Megan and grumbly took his pills while mumbling "yes Mum".

For New Years Eve we did our traditional British New Year (5pm champagne pop). Sarah and Chad hosted this year and we were able to catch up with them and few other couples (Jen and Marco, and Chad's brother). It was another good night. We got the kids to bed by 9pm and we managed to stay up till 12:10am. We both concluded that Dick Clarke needs to retire (he's 83) and lay off the botox and spray on tanning products.

On Stage Debut

2011-12-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday morning at 9:30 Peyton's preschool put on a Christmas Concert at the Towne Hall. Peyton and Josie were both Reindeer's, while some of the other kids were presents, trees, and elfs. The whole concert took about 40 mins. Naturally the microphones didn't work, and the stage wasn't quite big enough for all the kids (or high enough), and there wasn't enough chairs for everyone (not even close to enough) but all in the performance was very cute and brought a smile to what was a miserable weekend for me (strep throat/eye infection). Peyton made the rookie mistake of not going to the bathroom before her performance. We could see her up on stage hoping around and trying to pinch her legs together. Finally about halfway through she jumped down and exited stage left. She returned to take part in her favourite number (twinkle, twinkle little star by sign language). Her other favourite was S-A-N-T-A - which was done to farmer in the dell.

Peyton and Josie (they are two peas in a pod right now).

We certainly talk about Peyton a lot in these blogs - likely because she is always doing something new. Sienna, isn't forgotton and is easily ahead of Peyton when it comes to talking. Peyton had maybe a handful of words when she turned 2. Sienna has full arsenal of words and phrases and isn't afraid to take a stab at anything - including singing. yingo bell, yingo bell, yingo ahh dah weh is a personal favourite. Some of her other specialties include:\
Stop it
missed it
mote (remote)
kitty cat meow
tank you
Where Peyton??? der is
ober (over)
Santa ho ho ho

Happy 4th Birthday Peyton!

2011-12-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

We started off the day with pancakes and then made 3 dozen smile cookies to bring to school Friday. This is me and my little helpers! Quote from this experience:
Peyton - what's next?
Me - Flour
P - what kind of flour?
M - All purpose flour
P - Purple Flour! Yay!

Because Darren was under the weather (turns out it's a throat infection), we stayed home for dinner and Peyton got her Belle Princess cake and ice cream.

Today, I did an interview with her for kicks and to share her answers:

1.)What is your favorite color? 'Purple'
2.) If you could be anyone in the world who would you be? 'A Princess' (surprise, surprise)
3.) What is your favorite song? 'Twinkle, twinkle'
4.) Favorite thing to wear? 'Beautiful dresses...oh wait, a purple dress with yellow stars'
5.) Who is your best friend? 'Alex and Cameron (from the cabin) and Josie'
6.) Favorite movie? 'Belle movie' a.k.a. Beauty and the Beast
7.) Favorite tv show? 'Max and Ruby'
8.) What is your favorite food? 'PANCAKES!' (maybe because I asked at breakfast)
9.) Favorite treat? 'Cake and Chocolate'
10.) Best part of Christmas? 'Santa bringing presents'

Of course the best part for Sienna was the bags!

We got Peyton the Leapfrog Tag reading system. I was a little worried that she wouldn't use it, but so far she's really taken to it! Score 1 for Mom! Today after Preschool and getting to wear a birthday crown we went to Boston Pizza for lunch with Auntie Gina! So much fun!

Santa Visit!

2011-12-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the mall today to see Santa with our friends, Jen and Lucus. It was great to have company in line and also to swap taking the photos! We love his beard! Peyton didn't think he was too bad, but she asked right away where her present was! I told her it was a few more sleeps away and then before naptime she said he was a little scary, but ok. Sienna was just curious about him, she couldn't stop looking at him. Luckily we got one out of 9 photos that worked! (Thanks Jen!)

Seriously it was a lot of fun and glad we got to do it! Peyton also loved the Disney store, probably more now than ever because she thought Santa could bring her every princess toy in the place!

Tree Trimming time!

2011-12-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, we hauled up the xmas boxes, turned on the holiday carols, and began to trim the tree. This was the first Christmas where they've both been able to hang ornaments themselves and dig through them to see what they are. It was great to watch and I can't wait for many more years watching them at Christmas!

This is our prize smiler! Why do kids do this? More practice in front of the mirror.

The best is how only the bottom third of the tree was decorated! Darren and I adjusted them all after they went to bed. The only hitch was the pizza delivery which took way longer than it should've and came just before their bedtime.They didn't seem to mind and hopefully next year we can smooth that over.

Christmas is here at the Drebert residence!

On the Mend

2011-12-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

On Friday my Mom went back in to the hospital to have surgery inorder to help manage the Moya Moya condition that she has. The procedure was a 7 hour ordeal that involved taking arteries/tissue from her lower abdomen and transferring them to her head/brain area to help improve the blood flow. The Dr.s were very pleased with the outcome and are hopeful she can return home in a few days. I took the girls up yesterday to see her and she is doing remarkably well considering she was less than 24 hours removed from a major procedure. She was alert, eating, talking and was eager to play with the kids and hear about their accomplishments over the last week. I think the thing that bugs her the most is she will not be able to drive for awhile. This is more annoying than usual as my Dad had minor surgery two weeks ago - a defibrillator was inserted in his chest - and he can not drive for another two weeks. Luckily many friends and family have graciously volunteered to drive them to the hospital, shopping etc until the keys are handed back to them.

I would like to personally thank my Aunt Donna who drove my Mom to the hospital at 6:30am and waited there until after she was out of surgery (7pm) and my Dad could get to the hospital.

Hopefully both my Mom and Dad will be back to full speed soon.

Cold and Flu season

2011-11-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

We've sadly been plagued with the dreaded Cold and then (now) the flu over the past two weeks. So sadly there hasn't been much to blog about! It's been a yucky time, but I know because of facebook that we are not alone in our misery. Yesterday we actually had a day of all of us feeling ok, so after Peyton's skating I managed to go and do my first family photo shoot (taking a photography class) of some friends of mine in the extreme wind (although it was 12 degrees). It felt like the tornado was coming at any minute, but never did. Then later we all went to Spruce Meadows (where my Dad volunteers) to see their xmas lights. The xmas fair was sadly just ending, but we did love the lights, they are spectacular! Next year we'll get there earlier.

We though this was interesting in that they had the reindeer's date of birth on their signs. How did they know that??? and they were all different if you're wondering, Anyways, Darren is off sick today, so hopefully he's the last of all of us. We're not sure if Peyton had it (she had a fever) or whether she's the last, so we'll wait and see. Hopefully a better weekend next!

Birthday Party!

2011-11-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

Tis the season....for birthday parties that is. Last saturday was Peyton's friend Olivia's 4th birthday party. Peyton was so excited, practically bouncing off the walls! It was play time in the gym then cake & pressies after!

Sienna, even though she didn't understand, thought it was great fun too!

I think the cake was the best part, and maybe the balloon at the end! At any rate, Peyton has the party bug now, so I'm not sure we'll get away without one for her, but we may wait until January.

Bruges

2011-11-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

Do you think it's a sign of how busy we have been, when it takes two months to post a blog about your holiday?

We went to Bruges (Belgium), back in the begining of September, while we were over visiting Meg's family. We are trying to see other countries when we visit England - something that is becoming a bit more difficult with our kids (they don't seem to care that the church your in was built over 1,000 years ago). This was one of the reasons we choose Bruges. Bruges is a small medieval town in the Northern part of Belgium. The majority of the touristy stuff is all within a 10 sq/km radius and thus easy to get to on foot. The popultation is just over 50,000 so the pace and business is more on par with kids. We were able to get to Bruge by taking the Eurostar train from London (under the English Chunnel) and into Brussels. Once in Brussels we transferred to a local highspeed train and were in Bruges 50 minutes later. The girls loved the train and all the different doors and compartments they could walk into to. It is also a great way to see the countryside. We also thought that Bruges would be a nice spot after watching the film In Bruges (starring Colin Farrell). It is worth a watch if you haven't seen it. I have attached a link to the trailer below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoE9edjEDCI&noredirect=1

We had rented a 3 bed room house (my parents were with us as well) - and we
were right across the street from a Carnefour (Market), where we were able to get fresh rolls and other essentials (beer). The picture on the left is one example of the many canals that run through the town of Bruges.

The majority of the time we just wandered around getting lost on little side streets and appreciating the hidden gems that we discovered. The architecture is worth the visit alone and certainly does not disappoint.

You can't got to Belgium and not indulge in a Belgium waffle. This is Peyton enjoying her lunch. She was tres excited to be having a waffle for lunch.

One of the many bistro's that were in Bruges.

I absolutely love all the cobblestone streets. It really is a staple of what you see in Europe. Speaking from experience - they aren't great when you are pushing a stroller!

The main square looking at all the restaurants.

The canals are certainly a feature that adds to Bruges beauty and uniqueness. It is often referred to as the Venice of the North.

Belgium is known for their beer and we certainly tried to sample as much of it as we could. With well over 500 beers we weren't able to get to all of them. Zot was brewed in Bruges and became a favourite of ours. We also paid a visit to the brewery (called Half Moon brewery).

A view of the tower from the main square. It is over 700 narrow, steep, and windy steps to the top. We climbed every last one of them - so did Peyton - in order to get the outstanding view from the top.

One of the many churches that we stopped in to see.

Enjoying a frosty Belgium beer in the Square. Certainly beats the view we get from our local Pub!

Eventhough the colours on all the buildings are amazing, there is still something about a black and white photo in Europe.

This might be the only photo of the four of us in Bruges. We still like to travel but it is definitely more stressful with the kids and harder to see/do everything you want.

This was our canal ride. The girls liked being on the boat. The ride started out sunny and warm and ended with a windy rain. That's what you get for being 20 kms away from the English Channel.

This structure is called the Donkey Gate and was one of 8 entrances into Old town Bruges. Our House was a couple blocks from this building and we had to pass through this gate every day as we made our way into the tourist area of Bruges.

Enjoying a beer in a small square. Notice the Horse drawn carriage in the background. Definitely won't see that on a patio in Calgary.

Ahhhh Moules et Frites (Mussels and Fries) - and the Belgians know how to do both of these right! We had these a few times and they were easily the best Mussels Meg and I had ever had.

The view from the top of the tower.

Not the best picture, but another one with the four of us on our Cariage ride. The girls enjoyed this as did my parents since we could see a lot of the sights without having to walk everywhere.

This is the first pub in Bruges (per the sign - established in 1515). It was really neat to go inside, they still had a very old wood burning stove and old steel mail slots were locals would pay their tabs at the end of the week.

All in all I think everybody enjoyed themselves in Bruges and we would certainly recommend visting this quaint little medieval town.

Winter ready???

2011-11-03T11:45:00.000-06:00

We pulled out some of the winter wear this week to see what fit and what didn't. Since we had some of the baskets out, they both decided to 'dress up' in some old stuff they found! It was too cute!

Okay, so yes Peyton's smile is rediculous (the poser), but I thought it was hillarious that Sienna was actually looking at me but the hat was covering her whole head! I could hear her muffled...Mmmmooooommmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! ha ha ha!

And I TRIED to get a photo of me with the my kids, and this is the best of three takes........

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T10:54:00.001-06:00

Nothing scary going on in our house. We had a pretty mermaid and a cute little lady bug. Peyton had a Halloween party at school on Friday and the parents (mom's) got a 15 mins show of songs that they had learned and also so we could see all the costumes. It was pretty cute!

Peyton was sitting beside her best friend, Josie (aka Jessie).

Last night they had fun, luckily it wasn't too cold. Peyton liked saying 'Trick or Treat' so much so that she had a crying fit when some kid beat her to it at the door. Other than that, they both had tons of fun and got loads of candy, so much so that we had pilfer through at least 4 (okay maybe 6) pieces each after the kids went to bed. I wonder how long we can keep that up!

with their loot! woo hoo!

We had about 80+ kids to our house last night! Crazy! The most we've ever had. I love handing out the candy while they're out going door to door. I like seeing the kids costumes and having a little ME time, even if I never sit down! Now I wonder how I'm going to stay away from the candy......

Oilers are No.1??

2011-10-30T21:23:00.000-06:00

Actually they are (or were), but after the 10 games the Oil are a very respectable 6-2-2 and are in first place in the Western Conference. I couldn't tell you the last time that they were even over .500 after 10 games let alone First Place! I'm sure it won't last, but like all new seasons, there is hope, potential and a new found enthusiasm for your team. I usually wear my jersey for at least one game in October until it all goes to H E double hockey sticks. The Oilers haven't made the playoffs since 2007 and have finished dead last the previous two seasons.

The jersey that Sienna is wearing was a gift for Peyton from Uncle Brad. Do you think I could get her to humor me for two minutes while we take a photo?? Not a chance. But my little athlete Sienna was all over the Jersey, so much so, that we might have to do this again.

I don't usually give the No. 1 sign, but the Oilers are actually in first place. You would never see me doing this when they were 30 points out of a playoff spot. The season is long, so let's wait and see where they are after Christmas before we make any predictions.

Fall 2011 at the cabin

2011-10-28T14:49:00.000-06:00

Cabin season is over for this year (as of the 16th) , but these photos were of the end of September, beginning of October. It was unseasonally warm, hard to believe now as we're in the single digits! I love the colors at the cabin in the fall, so I wanted to share a few of the pictures I took, before I forget!

We have a secret path behind our cabin to the lake and there's also a few around the community, we love checking them out to see what's at the other end!

We've been busy around here with the mortgage renewing (aka paperwork), me just starting back two days a week for See Your Game in the office, Darren is busy at work, and Halloween coming up, oh and well, just the every day busy that is our life right now! I'm starting a photography class next week and Darren's playing hockey again this year with his work team. We'll try to get some more photos up for Halloween!

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

2011-10-24T21:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my Mom's 60th Birthday. My Mom (or Dad for that matter) are not big into partying these days, so the fact my Mom just got out of the hospital two weeks ago likely didn't play two much into our low key birthday celebration. We all went over to my parents after breakfast. The girls were loving hanging out with Grandma and having her read stories and play dress up. We ordered Chinese food and topped it off with a Happy Birthday Grandma rendition while our DQ ice cream log thawed out. Of course we forgot our camera so we don't have any photo's to share from this momentous occasion. I highly doubt the cake will last the week, but if it does, we can try to re create the event next weekend.

A sign of a good party is that the guest's don't want to leave. Well, Peyton and Sienna were none too happy when we informed them we were about to leave. Peyton cried and possibly overreacted and Sienna just kept saying nnnoooo, nnoo, no.

Happy Birthday Mom. xoxo

Thanksgiving at the Lee cabin

2011-10-13T16:33:00.001-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We did Thanksgiving up at the cabin again as our second annual with the Lee's and another couple, Wendy and Glen. We had another great time, I've been looking forward to it since the beginning of summer!

First up the pumpkin hunt at the Lee's cabin backyard. They do such a good job hiding them, so it's not that easy to find them.

Sienna hunting, problem is, she's usually babbling a lot and not so much hunting!

Got mine!

Peyton loves the Lee girls, Alex and Cameron. Their her best friends (along with everyone she gets along with). It's pretty cute to watch her follow the older girls around and want to do everything with them.

Sienna and Peyton

All together now (look happy)!

Then the girls (and one boy) all get to decorate them. Sienna and Peyton loved the paint, Sienna even liked the taste of it!

Next up, the dance party. We got some good video of them dancing to Hannah Montana

Mmmmm....turkey! The highlight for some!

And pumpkin pie was the highlight for others.

Lastly a movie, while the adults eat our dinner. This years feature was 'Rio'.

I was struggling with moving my photos around, so this one is last!

Thanks again to the Lee's for hosting, we had a great time and I had fun golfing the next day with the ladies! Already looking forward to next year!

Kayben Farms

2011-10-05T15:02:00.000-06:00

Last week we went to Kayben Farms, which is in Okotoks, less than 15 mins from us. The girls loved it, but you wouldn't know it, because we were having a day where nobody would look at the camera! Ugh...I hate when models are so difficult! Ha!

This was the bouncy pillow, so much fun and you can shoot balls onto it! We did one England too!

These water pumps were fun, you put a rubber duck or a ball in front and pump the water to make it go!

Horsey tire swings, wondered where these got to! I remember them when I was little.

There were animals as well, not tons, but a couple cows (Nina saying "moo"), horses, ducks, a sheep, a goat, chickens and roosters.

Ahhh, the main attraction, at least to me, the CORN MAZE! I've been dying to do the Calgary one, but never get around to it. I was with the girls and everyone was getting tired and hungry so we didn't get too lost, but it was really neat to go in. We found the middle and came back out again. Peyton chose all the right paths!

And today was the first day at preschool Peyton actually told me what she did that day! I've been trying to pry things out of her for the past three weeks, but nothing! Then today a dental hygenist came in to talk to them. Well, she told me how you are supposed to brush your teeth and that they read a Dora Goes to the Dentist story and she got a toothbrush and what she had for snack. Wow! Thanks to the visitor of the day, apparently that was a highlight!

Sheared!!

2011-10-02T21:28:00.000-06:00

Well it's official. On September 30 at 12:15pm I had my head shaved...again (I did it about 10 years ago when I was in the hospital). It was not really planned at all. Apparently while we were away my office started this head shaving race in support of cancer. I didn't read one single email and apparently the day before the big event someone mentioned that I had two hours to donate my way out of my head being shaved. The idea was that you donate money and nominate somebody to get their hair cut. Well, I phoned Meg and she seemed OK with it and because it was in support of Cancer it wasn't hard to convince her. So I went ahead with it.

In the end 4 of us had our heads shaved and raised over $5,000 in support of cancer research in the process. The most upsetting thing was, I had my haircut just last week. I could have saved myself some money if I would have waited 7 days!! As with any haircut, ironically I was having a "good" hair day the day of my pig shaving.

The girls (Megan included) were a bit slow to warm to my new look. Peyton asked if I could go back to my haircut from yesterday. Sienna just kept rubbing my head - she though it felt funny. Megan just kept saying it will grow back...right??

I actually received a lot of positive comments (hopefully they weren't just trying to be nice), one girl at work even said she thought I looked better!!! I'm not sure about that, but I don't mind it at all. I'm already planning on setting my alarm 10 minutes later than usual as a result of the new hairdo.

England

2011-09-27T20:27:00.001-06:00

So I've finally picked a few photos from my holiday to blog! The photos below are all from England (our first two weeks) and the last few days. Bruges, will be in another post. Too many photos to pick through.

First up, our first evening in England (actually in Knutsford, just outside of Manchester), we (Darren and I) went to the first home game of Man U. Thanks to my cousin Tim for getting us tickets and hopefully we were able to pay him back enough, because it was so awesome! Even through the jetlag! ;-)

For those wondering, the number 19 is the number of times they have been champions, last year was their 19th!

So this is the inside of Old Trafford and pretty sure I can see Rooney somewhere there! They won, which was great too! Added bonus!

This was a day at the beach in Morcombe (up in the Lakes, staying with my Aunt). We love how cute this photo is, we also paid the 50p for them to take the 'ride'. They thought it was so fun!

Up in the Lake District there is a lot of old stone walls, with some interesting gates to get through on your walks through the different farmers fields. This one Peyton is squeezing through, we all managed to get through, but don't put on too much weight!

Is that a cow giving you a kiss???

This is one of our favorite spots near Norma's, where you hike up the hill and you can see a view of the coast. Nice spot to sit and relax.....but not with kids!

We went to a few farms while were in England. It was so cute, Sienna would just stand there saying "Baaa" to the sheep and some of them would Baaa back!

Down to my Auntie Anne's (near Preston), for a packed house of people for our family reunion on my Mom's side. This was the day before the reunion, out for dinner at a carvery. Great deal for everyone to eat.

This was at a park near Anne's we took the kids to a couple times. Peyton loved this swing. Don't know why you don't see them anymore in Canada.

Ok, so now we're down south in London. Darren was in the city working and staying at the flat while I hung out with my cousin and Aunt and Uncle. We went to this farm with tons of play stuff for the girls.

Ok, is that not freakin' hilarious! I usually hate those things, but it was jsut so funny.

The 3 of us girls swingin'

The girls found a new love of the piano and are very good at making LOUD noises on it!

Another farm, but this time a U pick where we picked (Sienna ate) strawberries. (like Strawberry Shortcake)

Mmmmm....even the green bits!

Feeding the ducks moments before the horses came by.

We spent one night in the flat with Darren where we went for Dinner. This was me and my photography bug, it doesn't happen often anymore, but I like this one from above of the crosswalk.

Should've been in the Bruges post. This is the girls being silly on the train!

Darren thinks this photo is hillarious. Has anyone seen the SNL skit with the girl with the tiny baby arms?? Well Peyton's arm in their kind of looks like his. Let me know if you think it's that funny?

Back up north at my cousin's outside of Manchester, the day before we left. We walked to this beautiful hall, called Sutton Hall for dinner. Probably stepped in loads of sheep poop, but it was beautiful. Love it up north.

The girls being silly at dinner.

The 4 of us! not many photos of all of us, so we'll take it, pints and all!

Next up is the Bruges photos when I get around to them! Hopefully soon!

Preschool Terry Fox Run

2011-09-23T13:30:00.000-06:00

Today was Peyton's first ever Terry Fox Run! I, and am sure a lot of Canadians, have many memories of doing the Terry Fox Run with school. It's always in September and I'm pretty sure we didn't understand what we were doing until we were at least 10, but none the less we raised some money for Cancer and the kids had fun!

It was the whole preschool that came out this morning. above and below is Peyton and her friend Josie lining up for the run. They did one lap of half a soccer field.

There was face painting, coloring, a parachute, some snacks and of course the run (which took all of 5 minutes). It was very well done, for their first time and Peyton got a ribbon and tattoo for completing it!

Peyton's Ballet

2011-09-21T14:43:00.000-06:00

Last week Tuesday was Peyton's first ballet (intro to ballet) class. It's full of 3 and 4 year olds who are all adorable in their little tights and leotards! Darren thought the teacher was cute too in her leotards! I took some video too, but it's too big to upload, so you'll have to settle for a few quick photos. Peyton really enjoys it so far and the teacher is really good with the little ones and keeping them focused while still having fun.

You can see Daddy and Nina in the background of this one. The parents were only allowed to stay for the first class, the rest is unparented, so I'm not sure I'll get many more photos.....we'll see.

Pirouette....maybe?

Peyton's first day at Pre-school

2011-09-18T20:47:00.002-06:00

Monday was Peyton's first day of preschool at Tiny Towne Schoolhouse in Mac Towne. Website below. I was stressed because it was the day after we got back from Europe and I wasn't sure if she'd be into going, but luckily she had a friend in the class, Josie, whom she knew would be there, so it made the transition fairly easy. I'm pleased to say that she loves it and goes three mornings a week (Mon/Wed/Fri). As for what she does there???? Well, she doesn't tell us much, or she'll tell you what you want to hear, so I have to go on the newsletters for now and anything that any other mom says went on!

I haven't been to preschool in a long time, obviously, but it's mayhem! I mean, it's a good preschool and I know it's full and such, but getting our 'indoor' (so cute) shoes on, is controlled chaos! I'm as happy to say goodbye and get out as she is to go in! We have coming up, the Terry Fox Run and also school picture day.

http://tinytowne.ca/

I love the extra time I get to spend with Sienna as she never had the one on one time that Peyton and I did. Hopefully we'll get organized come January and get involved in something, but no rush. I will still blog some photos of our trip, they are downloaded, but haven't put them up here yet. Will do shortly when I have some time. Darren is away for a night this week and I have been working a few hours as well since we've been back, so life is back to busy, but scheduled busy, so good!Sorry it's been so long for a post, but you parents know how things get with two kids, a holiday and school starting! Yikes! Anyways, more about that later!

Nina's getting older.

2011-08-20T18:35:00.000-06:00

Sienna is almost 18 months old and it shows. She does get more frustrated when she can't have something or do something, so it's probably a sign that the terrible two's are on there way.

She is able and does get into everything!! It's a constant battle. As I type, she's moved a kid chair to the counter and is trying to climb up, wearing Peyton's new school shoes!

She's also getting into Peyton's crayons and markers almost every other day and this is what happens if I don't catch on in time (or in this case, was visiting with my friend Sherry!).

And let me tell you, even though it's washable, it takea a quite a scrub to come off! hee hee!

We're off tomorrow for 3 weeks to England and Bruges. We'll try to blog while we're over there, but I don't know if we'll get any photo's uploaded. So next blog could be international!

Dad's New House!

2011-08-16T21:16:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I do not take credit for these photo's, although Darren did think to take them when I forgot, so good on him. My Dad finally, we think, sold his old house. Possession in Sept. He's been in this new place since the beginning of July, so we're a little behind. He has a walk out bungalow in Bridlewood for those who know the city. Tons of room. 2 master beds and 2 and a half baths. Beautiful finishes, I'll try to take more photos.

kitchen awaiting barstools.

dining room, still has space for 10 comfortably

upstairs hall

the girls on the deck and it's that duradeck!

family room (upstairs)

downstairs family room

out of focus bar area

There's also an office and the two beds and baths.

Anyways, so pleased for him that everythings going ok. We're off to England Sunday, so it's a bit hectic round here! Almost there! Can't wait to see everyone!

Summer Update #2

2011-08-09T21:22:00.000-06:00

Well as Meg mentioned in her last post, we have had a busy few weeks. Not the kind of busy where you wish you could slow down and spend a night in front of the TV. This was a good, relaxing (for the most part - we have kids remember) kind of busy. Last year we had such a lousy summer - awful really, and early forecasts suggested that we should brace for much of the same this year. Luckily, that has not been the case. Since early June the weather has been fantastic (usualy mid 20's) with lots and lots of sunshine. During the two weeks that I spent up at the cabin there was only one bad weather day. We used this day wisely and buckled down and painted our kitchen cabinets. For those that remember, the cabinets used to be a hideous dark brown - the same brown that was in every other room in the cabin. The above picture doesn't really do the improvement justice but trust us....it is a drastic improvement and another personal touch we have put on our vacation property. We now only have one brown room left (the kids) and we will let them paint it pink or purple or both once they are both ready to help.

Here's the girls looking a little mischevious after eating a couple of oreo's (or brown cookies as Peyton calls them).

There's nothing like a fire on a clear summer night. Despite Meg's pants and sweater it really wasn't that cold - this is her Mosquito repellant.

The above picture sums up one of my favourite times of the day. Not only does the sun glisten off the tops of the trees as it slowly sets, but my kids are in bed and I typically am enjoying a nice frosty beverage!

Being at the cabin for two straight weeks was a little bit like ground hog day...and I loved it. We would wake up in the morning turn Beauty and the Beast (we tried to play other videos but Peyton is in love with Belle at the moment), while Meg or I went for a run and the other cooked breakfast. A little coffee on the front porch and a couple of suduko's later we were ready for the beach. We would stay there till lunch come back, but the kids down for a nap so we could read - and then head to the beach or enjoy the backyard pool (above) after nap. It was a lot of fun and we didn't have to go far. Nina is still a bit of pain at the beach/pool because if she's not eating the sand, she is drinking the lake/river water. I'm sure she is building up some good immunities. I also managed to get 10 ( 9 hole) rounds of golf in. And can actually say that golfing more does make you more consistent (who knew!).

The photo's above were taken on the one day we ventured outside of the compound and drove 20 minutes up the highway to a little town called Bosano. They have a great little water park that we heard about (it's practically brand new) and it only cost our entire family $10 to get in for the day. We stayed for about 2 hours however at 5pm the pool closes for an hour so the staff can eat dinner. Instead of returning to the water park we toured the main road, bought some groceries and wine and then took the kids to the playground - which was also very impressive. All in all Bosano was a neat little Alberta town and we will be back again soon.

Peyts and Nina relaxing after a hard day at the beach and backyard pool. They are most likely eagerly awaiting a marshmallow and hoping they can stay up past their bedtimes.

Summer update number 1

2011-08-04T15:52:00.000-06:00

So, we've hit an all time low....one blog in a month....yikes! There are a few excuses, if you care to hear them, 1) our camera crapped out, one too many drops by the kids and it died. So it took awhile to get another so in the meantime there was no photos. 2) we were on holidays for over 2 weeks (well Darren was off) and we were at the cabin the whole time (except when I had to work). We do have lots of pictures, this is just a start. The weather has been fabulous, only 1 cool day and one cool morning, but otherwise we were outside in the yard or at the beach and occassionally golfing!

Ok, a little cruel, but kind of cute. Naked babies! And just after I finished reading an article on your children's privacy.....oh well. They'll get over it.

This one is actually at my Dad's new house. He moved into his awesome new house. It's beautiful. Can't remember if I've posted any photos yet, but I will. This is Sienna with Ruth, some family from England that came to visit.

Sweet Sienna, has figured out the sorting rings. It's cute...

I was not here for this, but I believe that is sunscreen all over her face....a little too much maybe Grandma?

This was the cool day, watching movies (Beauty and the Beast only a twenty times). Notice my beer, so apparently it wasn't so bad.

Darren with the girls and some smores that they made. Nothing says summer like marshmallows and smores!

Peyton posing out of the playhouse window.

And Sienna doesn't want to be out done. Peek a Boo!

Our newly adopted wagon, thanks to our cabin neighbors, the Judges.

Not sure what this face is. 'uh, mom, more marshmallows'

We have lots more photos to come so hopefully I'll get those in, but I wanted something out there. We're currently working on our next holiday. England and a week somewhere undecided. Either France or Brussels, so that's keeping us busy. It's nice to be home and sleep in our own bed, also can't wait to get back.

Happy Canada Day

2011-07-04T20:39:00.000-06:00

Back from our 6 day adventure at the cabin! The weather was great and we had fun having 4 days of all beach. On the weekend. Peyton got to see her friends Alex and Cameron on the weekend and we did a little backyard pool. Everyone was exhausted by the time we got home, but sad to leave.

On Saturday, Peyton went in the parade (Canada Day) with Cameron on her little pink jeep and Alex rode her bike behind. They threw candy to us watchers.

We've noticed our babysitter, Alexa, has gotten a bit older this year and boys and teenage dreams are all hers now for the taking. This was her float this year. Grass skirts and bikini tops. She's 15 and this is my future with the girls!

Mike and Kelly came out this weekend for two nights with their dogs, this is Peyton with Duchess, her favorite (probably because she has a pretty pink collar). So we partied with them, golfed and watched some fireworks and ate like pigs! Sad to be home, but probably for the better. Sienna was so exhausted she slept until 9:30 this morning (usually 7:30am she wakes). She was also cursed by another mosquito bite on her eyelid, so she's looking like Quasi Moto again and probably uncomfortable. Aw well, look forward to next weekend already and hopefully we'll stay some next week too.

Goin' cruisin with the girls....

2011-06-27T16:28:00.000-06:00

I have a little break from work and the weather is going to be GREAT this week, so me and the girls are going out to the cabin for some time at the beach and kiddie pool. Then Darren will join us for the LONG weekend.

My Dad is moving this weekend for those interested. Still hasn't sold his house. Take a look, it's a nice one and it's on MLS.

Summer seems to be slipping away already, with plans and must do lists, hopefully we manage to sit back and relax some too!

Sikome Lake picnic day!

2011-06-21T16:31:00.000-06:00

I think it might finally be summer, but I'm no holding my breath! Today we were going to go to the fountain, but then we ran into Sherry & fam at the grocery store this morning and they invited us to come to Sikome Lake, which is great cause we haven't been there yet this summer. So we all went home, packed a picnic lunch and met at the beach. Beautiful day for it and I am so grateful I get to do these things with them.

Peyton and Olivia never sat still for a photo, not one minute! They were in and out of the water doing there own thing together. It's so nice to have them play together.

Sienna is a water baby and likes to be in it.

Sienna and Noelle, playing together (sort of), at least in the same area.

Peyton struttin' her stuff with a watering can. Today she is sporting the purple plaid tankini with ruffles. Gorgeous.

Ha! Nice day, Darren is golfing, I'm sure he's not too sad he missed this for golf today.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-06-17T15:17:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I (we've) been getting a little behind lately. I've also been forgetting to bring my camera with me when I go out! Have to be a better blogger, I'll continue to chant that in my head!

Last Saturday (the 11th) was my 32nd (would rather say 23) birthday. Can't say it was anything exciting, but I'm perfectly ok with that these days. I get enough excitement with the girls! In the morning I worked a garage sale with my firiend, Sherry. I made $60 was good, put $20 toward a nice bottle of wine, which we'll enjoy this coming weekend. Saturday night was dinner at my Dad's. Sadly the weather wasn't great to sit out.....boo, one of the last weekends to have dinner on his fabulous deck. Hopefully we'll get one more. Anyways, then I was up early on Sunday to work a tournament in Red Deer.

The family gave me a Winners gift card, my Dad gave me some money and my in-laws gave me money for the mall. So apparently I get to go shopping!! Yay! Now I have to find the time.....Happy Birthday to me!

The Zoo, take two.

2011-06-08T15:45:00.000-06:00

This is now a week ago! Wow, is time flying, maybe it's starting work (which is going good), or the summer coming, or we're just plain busy, but at any rate, last Tuesday we went to the zoo with our friends, Sherry, Olivia and Noelle. We had a great picnic lunch with the peacocks and the kids played, more with sticks and stones than paying attention to the animals, but a fun afternoon!

Look at these two cuties! BFF's?

Mosquito Bite or UFC fight?

2011-05-31T20:58:00.000-06:00

It's a mosquito bite, on the lower eyelid. We haven't signed her up for fighting lessons yet. Although, if it means she could fight off the mosquito's I might consider it. Don't get too excited, this was 2 weeks ago. She got the bite on a Sunday and this was the Monday morning!!! yikes. It got worse through the day, to the point she couldn't see and I rushed off to the walk in for another hour and a half wait, only for the dr. to tell me what I already thought. Nothing they can do, just a little benedryl (antihistimine) and 5-7 days. Luckily by day 4 it had almost disappeared. Poor thing, she gets this allergy from me. You have kids and you think, oh I hope they get my "this" and his "that" and you hope you made a perfect person, but sadly they come up with your flaws too. I just wanted to show off the picture, now that I'm over being sad for her, it's kind of funny.

Open Season

2011-05-27T15:02:00.000-06:00

Well, our first long weekend out at Hidden Valley was a success!

I wasn't prepared to go to the beach while Darren was filling sandbags (big flood warnings, cross your fingers for us) on Saturday, but off we went without bathing suits (one for Peyton in my bag) and without towels! I challenge you to stop a child from getting wet or messy near a beach! Impossible, so in they went.

Nina in the water, splashing around.

Peyton seeing how far out she could get in the cold water.

Nothing like a soggy wet diaper and sitting naked in the lake!

Ahhh, the cabin girls (plus Kirsty) reunited on Sunday.

Alex, Cameron, a smitten Peyton and Sienna

Sunday Stew and Kirsty came for the day, golfed, locked their keys in the car, ate too much and drank a few, and then sadly went home. It was a nice weekend, besides the rain on Monday which made us come home a few hours earlier than expected.

It has continued to rain all week and as I look out the window it is still raining now.....we have urgent flood warnings at Hidden Valley because of the Bow River rising. Luckily our cabin is on higher ground and raised about 3 feet off the ground, but our fingers are crossed for all the other cabin owners that hopefully we have built up our berm enough to withstand the rising waters. We will be watching the website closely. http://www.hvgr.ca/

Cabin Bathroom Reno

2011-05-18T14:40:00.000-06:00

The bathroom is complete!! Yay!

Below is the Before and After photos. The before photo's don't look as bad as it actually was. The floor was made up of ugly lino, with ugly stick on fake tile lino on top. The brown on the walls was a yucky poop brown. The shower was so rusted and hard water stained that we didn't even want to shower in it. The sink, was a 70's one piece with a faucet that you had to cram your hands against the back of the sink to get under it. Anyways, without further a do, the before's........

Considering all the things we had to put up with, a rotten floor, taking out a wall to get the old bath out (luckily we had a contractor for that), crappy panelling walls (instead of drywall), and also uneven walls, we managed to have a bathroom that is clean and pretty. New tile floor, new vanity with granite conter and undermount sink, new mirror, new bath and shower with accent glass mosaic tile surround,new curved shower rod and new paint and baseboards. Ahhhh.....much better.

After.....

The pictures don't give it justice, you'll have to come see for youself! We also, painted our bedroom, it was the same yucky dark brown, so now it's nice and bright.

Anyways, we're thrilled with the way it came out and a big THANKS to my Dad whom we couldn't do this without. I had my first shower there last weekend and I can see myself having many more.

War Wounds

2011-05-10T20:20:00.000-06:00

We had a pretty good morning, and then out of nowhere, BAM! Peyton fell on our tile floor on the way to the bathroom, apparently chin first and hard. I didn't actually think it would be cut, but when we looked at it, it had just split right open, cleanly. It actually didn't bleed that much. Poor thing! I felt sick and awful and slightly guilty becaust just prior to that I got angry at her for peeing a little in her underwear. We seem to be having this problem now that spring/summer is here and we're outside and don't want to go in. My yelling and the occasional spank isn't helping the situation so after today's incident I've decided to do nothing and ignore it, I think it may be attention getting.

Anyways, we spent the next hour and a quarter in the waiting room at the walk in clinic. Luckily I was smart and brought the portable DVD so not a peep out of Peyton. I thought she'd end up with a matching scar like mine from stitches I had at 4, but luckily she didn't need them and they closed it up with super glue. No really, actual super glue?? Weird. So it shouldn't leave much of a scar. I took her for a dip cone after for being SO brave and that plus a couple Strawberry Shortcake band-aids and she's good to go. We had a quiet evening of movies. But of course Darren was away. I can't wait for tomorrow with soccer and swimming.....ugh!

Finally Sping, I hope......

2011-05-05T21:53:00.000-06:00

So Darren's been in Vancouver this week, Mon, Tues, anyways and next week he's in Toronto all week, so it's going to be fun and long all at the same time! Luckily it's nice so we can go outside! So far it's been good. Peyton is in a Movers's Shakers class for an hour and a half on Monday's which she loves and then she has soccer on Wednesday's, which is good that she runs around, but she's not an athlete in that sense. She may be more like me and a figure skater or something more like that (dancing maybe). She has no real 'go get it' feel, it's more like, 'i love how my hair feels when I run' and 'no you have it'.

We did eat lunch outside on Monday and Peyton loves it! We blow bubbles and sadly I have no pics of Sunday, but we were outside with the neighborhood kids and Peyton made friends, sort of. I won't lie, I don't really like our trashy neighbors on one side. I'm sure they're fine with their 2 bobcats and he seems to be divorced twice and smokes and throws his butts onto our lawn, but COME ON, please MOVE. But he has a daughter that is 4 and Peyton seems to like her (even though we call her Bossy Brinn). I feel bad for her. They don't seem to pay a ton of attention so we adopted her for playing cars and bubbles, etc outside while his girlfriend sat sunbathing on her phone. Sad.

Tuesday afternoon it decided to rain. First chance we've had to really look at it, with thunder and lightening. It was actually kind of fun to see how kids look at it and wonder how it hits the window if it's falling down.

Congrats Wills & Kate

2011-04-29T19:35:00.000-06:00

Do you honestly think I would miss this?? My Mom used to say that we watched Charles and Di get married when I was a baby and my Mom and I got up in the middle of the night to see Diana's funeral, so it was a no brainer to PVR on two channels (no I did not get up) and watch the Royal Wedding. So glad I did. It was difficult to watch in the morning with the girls and their needs, but I managed to show Peyton at least that their are real Princesses in the world and they do get married (after University). Hopefully I'll be able to share with them the memories that my Mom had and they'll know it was special. I did also tape a highlights show so I can watch it later without them to really get into it. I think it was beautiful and there are people that don't believe in the monarchy, but to me it is what little girls dream of (realistic or not) and today was a lovely. They seem like a nice couple and it makes it that much sweeter to see places I've been like, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace and the roads between them like they showed and I can't wait to show the girls when they're old enough to appreciate it.

May they live Happily Ever After.........

Animal House

2011-04-27T20:28:00.000-06:00

On Easter Monday, Darren took the day off and we went to the Zoo! Got our annual passes, ready for the summer (along with a ton of other people) and packed a lunch. It was a beautiful day out and we got a peek at the baby giraffe, the hippos eating lunch and diving in the water, and of course a bunch of other animals!

I love this photo, not planned, but I like the reflection in the glass of the two of them looking at the bird.

Poor Sienna doesn't quite understand the zoo yet, but she will one day. Peyton is at a perfect age, however, where she knows the names of all them, the sounds they make and is excited to see them (even if they smell bad!)

Sienna's on cruise these days. All she wants to do is walk or push and walk something! It's pretty cute with the stroller. It was a great afternoon and tired them out pretty good.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T15:46:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! We did. Satruday Darren and I went out to the cabin to do some painting of our bathroom which we're in the process of renovating out there. More pics to come later on that though.... you'll have to wait a few more weekends til it's done. We came back a little later then expected, but still enjoyed a nice Easter dinner with Darren's Mom, Dad and brother and the girls.

Peyton of course got spoiled rotten by the Easter Bunny (and friends and family). Sienna did too, but she doesn't quite understand yet and she doesn't get to partake in the candy, although she did sneak one of Peyton's chocolate eggs, foil and all (luckily she spit the foil out), sneaky girl!

The Easter bunny brought plastic eggs for Sienna with a couple mini marshmallows inside. She knew how to get them open! It's funny how fast they pick up on something when there's sweets involved!

Sunday night we had our friends Stew and Kirsty, and my Dad over for dinner. Peyton was spoiled again and was riding a pretty good sugar high by the time she got to bed! Good thing it was nice enough to have a little outdoor play Sunday! We tried some new recipes and they all worked out. Yummy, I like Easter.

Cool Dude!

Prized Possession

2011-04-21T22:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, so my spelling my sucks, so that is definitley not my prized possession, but seriously, think about it. My cell phone, has all my phone numbers, can call help with, etc, but not my most prixed possession. Some days I think the tv is mine, the amount of time in the evening I spend in front of it. Anyhow, I guess my most prized possession, besides my kids because you can't possess them, would be my photos, albums, etc. That really does mean the most to me. I know it's cheating cause it's a multiple, not just one, but I make the rules with my own blog. I find that photos remind us of memories. I can be forgetful, so having photos really brings me back. Missing my Mom, my grandparents, my kids baby years, I do all that through photos. They can be really emotional and I that's why I love them. What's yours?

We've had a busy week, Peyton started swimming and soccer and my head has been in a cloud. We're busy remodelling the cabin bathroom (if we will ever be able to use it after the winter we've had), and Sienna literally running circles around us. Happy Easter to everyone and have a think about what your most prized possession is, it might surprise you.

Who Stole the Cookies from the cookie jar?

2011-04-12T16:32:00.000-06:00

Does this face look inocent?

We baked cookies today, something I've been promising since last week when Darren was in Toronto. Peyton has eaten at least 3 that I know of today.

I probably shouldn't have gone for the icing as it was a step too much! I really wanted to make a giant easter egg cookie though! Anyways, through a whining Sienna, because she wasn't included and telling Peyton to stop messing with the icing (see her blob cookie to the right of her) I managed to get it done. Clean up was another chore to be tackled with!

Yes, the photo is upside down, but tough, I'm not fixing it.

Sienna and the shoes. This is a common occurrence, especially when your back is turned. She's now in the destructive stage which is really difficult when Peyton is in a making/building phase. Anytime you try to do a craft or color with Peyton, Sienna is right there to wreck it or eat it. Same works with Lego towers, puzzles, games, or anything that you would like to keep nice. It's so difficult for every one of us involved! You can't please everyone!

"Play A Latte"

2011-04-05T20:26:00.000-06:00

Darren's away again this week (Toronto this time) and since we're all feeling better I managed to plan us a busy week. Today we met up with my friend Margaret and her little guy, Owen (18 months) at Play A Latte. Besides the fact that I LOVE the name of this place because of it's play on words, we really had a good time there. It's in Midnapore and for those of you on Fbook, you can look it up. They have at least 4 bouncy castles and a bunch of other toys for toddlers.

Sienna and her winning smile! She's still walking only 5 or 6 steps to us, but the rest of the time she likes the security of holding things. I'm fine with it as it means I still get to see the cute crawling bum! I'm going to miss that!

Peyton and her goofy smile. Why she thinks that you need to squint to smile is beyond me!?! Oh well, she liked the oatmeal cookie as a change for snack. Peyton even made a friend there and danced on the stage (no one was watching).

Owen and Sienna in the tube.

Peek A Boo!

Happy Birthday Darren!

2011-04-03T16:26:00.000-06:00

Friday (April Fools) was Darren's birthday! He will tell you that almost every birthday (of his) we've been together, he has been sick with a cold. One year I planned a big party down at our local, he was sick and miserable and struggled through it, another time I planned surprise concert tickets (2nd row seats) which I made him go to even though he was full of a cold, packed him with a coffee, drugs and a hand full of kleenex (great date), and so I've learned to not plan anything anymore and let things fall where they may and this year was no exception. Full of a cold again! Sienna's cold no doubt. So we ordered in and had some cake and ice cream. I wish I could say I made this cake, but no, it's a Wal -Mart special, but it actually wasn't half bad, and I liked the size, small so we're not stuck eating it for days on end.

Peyton loves cake and singing Happy Birthday, you'd think every birthday was hers!

Sienna, despite the messy photo below, does NOT like cake. It is about the only thing she spits out! Weird. She does like to play with it though, it must be a good texture!

Last night (Saturday) my Dad came over to babysit while we went out. Of course there was that BIG snow storm, so we ended up just going to the local pub for some food and drinks. Then in the morning we went out for brunch with Darren's family. I love brunch. It's so casual, so much good food and you can have as much as you want, plus there's desert!

Sienna likes it!

All in all, I'm pretty sure Darrren had a good time, when he was in Houston, he bought himself some jeans, I got him some new shoes and with the money he got from family we're getting a new BBQ, so no complaints! Happy 34th Birthday!

While He's Away!

2011-03-30T18:25:00.000-06:00

As previously mentioned Darren's been in Houston since Monday, coming home late tonight. Guess what I get, a sick and/or teething baby. Ugh. Monday afternoon the fever showed up and didn't go away until this afternoon. We've been dosing with tylenol and advil and last night to top off the whiny day, Sienna decided to have an ultra whiny night. I put her to bed after a bath at around 8 and she was up at 10 with a 103F fever, after cold compresses we got it down to 101.5 and she fell asleep on me watching tv, so I put her back to bed, only to have her wake up again a little after a 11pm. Boo! I got ready to bed, tried to bring her in bed with me, but after about an hour of just whining now in my bed, we got up and I rocked her in the rocking chair. At around 12:30 I put her back in bed and she woke up about a half hour later, repeat, one more time, get her back in bed and I turn on the fan in the bathroom. Oh well, can't hear her now....and we slept. Grrrr...Here's to hoping tonight is not a repeat! I did last night spot a 5th tooth poking through her gums, so that's probably adding to the agony. Even though the fever is gone, she's now not eating and whining just as much if not more. If you upset her, it takes 20 mins to calm her down. Is it bedtime yet?

This is the two of them on Tuesday, when I shoved in a movie. I feel bad for Peyton who is the one who gets know attention or I'm stuck because Sienna is napping on me. Today during Sienna's nap, I was able to take her outside to play for an hour or so.

On Monday morning, before things got crazy, I took them to Ikea and met a few friends for coffee. Awesome! And when I thought I couldn't love Ikea more because of their free babysitting (for Peyton) and $1 breakfast, this week they decided to make kids meals FREE. So Peyton got lunch for free and it felt like robbery! Then Peyton got an ice cream for 50 cents! Where can you get an ice cream for 50 cents these days? Ikea and it's frozen yogurt (don't tell them). Great morning. Going to have to do that again when the kids are well.

...

Anyways, it's typical that this happens when Darren is away, but we got through it, almost..

March Madness!

2011-03-29T00:43:00.000-06:00

Nina with a great Mohawk.

Yes it is almost April (or my Birthday for those of you who are keeping track), but we still have over 4' of snow on the front lawn, thankfully I finally was able to see green grass, wear flip flops, and smell humidity...but that's because I'm in Houston. When I left this morning our plane still had to be de iced because it was snowing and cold. What a crazy climate we live in!

With the NCAA Basketball Championships making history this weekend with no number 1 or 2 seed making it to the final I thought it was only fitting to reveal a couple historic moments in our family.

1. Sienna took her first steps on Saturday March 26. She's still pretty chicken and if you give her the opportunity she will likely grab on to something or simply fall on her bum in protest. That being said she did take 5-6 steps on her own (at least half a dozen times). She knew she was doing it because she was so proud of herself as she smiled away and joined in as we all clapped for her.

2. Peyton (on the same day) passed her level two entry level skating. She has shown remarkable improvement since she started level 1, where she was flopping around like a fish out of water, unable to walk in her skates (off the ice).

3. Our family finally got wireless Internet. This now gives Meg and I the freedom to surf and email from our kitchen or the playroom. Much more convenient than the den where the kids are constantly pulling everything off the shelf's and/or screaming because they are not allowed in.

Lake Louise Mini Break

2011-03-23T09:11:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we got out of Calgary with our friends, James and Kristy, to Lake Louise. (without the kids!!!) We got a deal through Living Social for two nights at the Lake Louise Inn which is in the village. The first night was just a relaxed dinner and drinks in the pub and then Monday we got up and went skiing. I was so nervous because I haven't skiied in almost 10 years! yikes! But step, by step, I managed to get on the chair lift and successfully get off, so I had no choice but to go down and I made it without falling or looking like a complete idiot and it was actually kind of fun! No need to have had that sleepless night about it.

We had a day full of equipment failures (not mine). As soon as we got their and Kristy went to put her ski on, the binding fell off and she had to go rent ski's. (oh darn, new skis for her) and then at the top of the hill on our second run, Darren's pole snapped in half for no apparent reason, so he hobbled back down the hill and rented new poles and then halfway through the day Kristy's glove ripped, she just struggled through coldish hands. We got in a lot of runs, until our legs were burning, the temperature was just right. Just below zero and no wind. A little snow and a little cloud at the top of the hill at times made for some difficulties seeing, but we powered through!

This is Kristy and I in the gondola. A couple of ski bunnies? Maybe. The goggles these days don't make you look as cute as in the 80's.

Apres ski, we went out for dinner in the hotel for some pasta, so good. And some wine (even better).

Tuesday morning, we got up late (9am) and had breakfast, said goodbye to James and Kristy as they were off to the spa at the Chateau Lake Louise. So we headed over there too, but to skate on the Lake. They had this ice castle in the middle, pretty cool.

At least now we can say we've done it and the back drop is really nice. The ice is a little bumpy for our taste, but we are quite picky.

Thanks to Darren's Mom and Dad for taking care of the kids while we were on our mini break. It was short, but fun. Darren and I had never skied together nor ever at Lake Louise, so a few firsts knocked off and an experience that will last as a memory for awhile. Albeit, coming home to two sick kids has made it seem like a distant memory already!

Interesting!?!

2011-03-16T14:53:00.000-06:00

So on Saturday night I made a great Mediterranean crockpot recipe that went with orzo. Since I wasn't sure how the kids would like it we chose to feed them and eat once they went to bed. In my head I thought this would be simple, put the orzo on while we put them to bed. Little did I know that the water in the pot would boil over and the orzo on the bottom would become good and stuck. Ewww. While most of it was still good and edible, the bottom was burnt on. Hence my problem. Burnt stuck on food on my stainless steel pot. First I soaked it over night, then had a go at it in the morning. Most of the food came off but I was left with black burnt bits still stuck, so I soaked it again in hot water for the day and still nothing, so I took to a knife, but quickly gave up as I was scratching the bottom of the pot and it wasn't doing a great job. Next, like all 21st century moms do, I turned to Google and found someone who had used coke. I did exactly what it told me to, and poured a 500ml bottle of Coke into the pot and brought the Coke up to a boil. Then I took it off the heat, poured it out and washed as I usually would. Guess what?........ It came OFF! Scary. Not that I drink a lot of soft drinks, but I don't think I'll be drinking any cola for a long time! If it can take that mess off, think what it does to my insides.

Anyhow, since the weather has finally been getting more seasonal, here's a picture of us heading to the park. The snow really needs to melt a LOT faster than it is!

And a bonus pic of Sienna

Bad Blogging

2011-03-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Meg and I have not been keeping up with our blogs lately. We are blaming it on the weather that we've had over the past month - a consistent dose of minus 20 to 30 degrees with various amounts of snow. Typically around this time of year things start melting and thoughts of spring come to mind. Not this year, and I think the fact we were unable to get a winter holiday in added to our gloom.

This is me outside Edinburgh Castle. The wind was so strong that day - which is typical Scottish weather - that I was actually leaning back and the wind was easily propping me up!

The above two photos are taken from inside the Castle.

This is the Grassmarket area where we stayed and it is just below the castle - the streets are lined with unique shops and old pubs!

Trying to stay warm while taking in the sights. As you can see it was raining that day.

Outside the Last Drop - where the public hangings used to take place. This is Rob - a colleague from work who was along for the trip.

You can't go to Scotland and not partake in Haggis. We washed it down with a nice cup of Tea.

To quote Ron Burgundy "I like Scotch, hmm,hmm good, down into my belly"

Outside the Robbie Burns Cafe. Burns is a famous Scottish poet and I attend his annual memory dinner every January. We didn't actually go inside as it was a bit overpriced.

I couldn't resist this photo for a couple reasons. 1. the place is almost 500 years old and 2. the name. I took this photo on the train back from Standstead into Liverpool Station.

Peyton wanted some shoes to match Daddy's black converse. We found these at Superstore and she is tickled pink with them!

Not the best photo of either of us - but our little Nina is getting very close to taking her first steps. She just had her yearly checkup and she is 30 inches and 23 LBS. The 23 pounds puts her in the 90th percentile - which is the polar opposite of Peyton who was always hovering around the 10-20th percentiles in weight. I was a bit of a husky lad when I was growing up so I think she is taking after me.

No these photos were not taken on January 1st. Rather March 4. We have snow piles well over 4 feet still in certain areas and with our front yard facing East the snow you see above will be her for sometime yet! Boo - I hate winter.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go.....

2011-03-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, sort of not really. Let me go from the beginning. My maternity leave was up on Feb. 19th and a few weeks before that I had to make a decision about coming back to work. In the end we decided that for our family it was best for all of us involved for me to leave my insurance career of 10+ years for now and stay home with our adorable little girls as they grow up so fast. In a way it felt rather normal, my Mom stayed home with me until grade 1, and she had said she never regretted that time. Nobody ever says, 'oh if I could've only worked 4 or 5 more years.' So, as much as I loved Jones Brown and everything they did for me, I had to say goodbye, for now.

So on to a new chapter and maybe a little discovery of my own as to what I can do and what I want to do. It's a bit of an opportunity as I see it to find a real passion (if we all have one). Anyways, I've always felt the need to pull my own weight, so as I was talking to my good friend Gina I mentioned I would be interested in something really part time and she said she might have something for me. So in the summer I'll be working 2 days a week with a company called "See Your Game" and basically I'll be going out to golf courses and taking photos and video at tournaments and then doing 3 hours work at home. The pay is ok, but I get to sit in the sun and get away from the kids! I'm hoping for as much free babysitting as I can to make this work, so fingers crossed.

I did a little trial run at the NHL Heritage Classic game a couple weekends ago, working in the Scotiabank tent. We took photos of people in full goalie gear and they get a picture of themselves set on a cool backdrop. I've attached one of me as a sample. Too funny.

That's my wicked hockey card. In all honesty it felt more like fun then work, so I think I'll like it just fine. It's all about who you know. Thanks Gina!

Darren also has work news, he got a promotion / new title so maybe we'll get out this weekend to celebrate. I couldn't tell you what the new title is, it's long and my memory is not, so I'll let him get on here and say more at some point. In the meantime, Congrats Darren.

Happy 1st Birthday Sienna!

2011-02-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Sienna's 1st birthday! This year has really flown, it makes me a little sad to know that she has to grow up. Our sweet Sienna is getting bigger and more inquisitive every day, but she's still full of smiles!

For her birthday we had over Papa, Grandma and our friends, James & Kristy and their two adorable girls, Bree & Maya.

little angel

In between all the girly squeals and playing, we at pizza for dinner.

AND for the finale, a few mini cupcakes for desert. This was Sienna's first taste of it. She kept licking a little at a time, savouring the unbelievable taste of sugar!

Happy Birthday Sweet Sienna!

Family Day!

2011-02-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

Yay! We love long weekends, but they always go by so fast! Yesterday was Family Day here in Alberta and we decided to go over to Douglasglen (a community next to us) for their Family Day event, which was skating, sledding, hot dogs, marshmallows, music, and contests in the afternoon. We have young kids, so an hour was long enough, but Peyton got out there with her skates on (which was good cause we didn't have lessons this weekend). She's still slow, I think probably a bit scared, but she can skate (slowly) on her own and get up ok. Then we got some hot chocolate and roasted a marshmallow and had two timbits and took Peyton's hot dog to go for dinner later. It was pretty fun and there was a lot of people there so a lot of atmosphere (aka people watching).

Mmmmmm Marshmallows.........

sticky, sticky

The day before we ordered chinese food with Darren's Mom and Dad and Uncle Brad. My Dad is in sunny Manzanillo, Mexico for a month, so he missed out, but I'm sure he's not very sad about that!

Messy, messy, messy

2011-02-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

It's funny how no one is safe with spaghetti! I thought Peyton was getting a bit tidier and Sienna was getting messier, but all bets are off with spaghetti! Here are the tomato beards to prove it.

Next up, remember the picture of Peyton destroying her room with lotion, etc? Well, our little Nina is the next Goober to mess up a room. Now that she's more mobile you really have to keep an eye out! Oh and of course this was a full roll that I just put on (why do they make double rolls again?). She's quite proud of herself.

V-Day was good, but of course as time is spent with your kids, it's not super exciting. Peyton made valentines and we had some heart cookies as well some extra chocolate to go around for everyone. I even managed to pick up a little container of cinnamon hearts to feed my addiction for a week or so. On other news, I'm getting addicted to kijiji, I've sold a couple of things on it and now I'm scouring my house to see what I else I can sell. Trying to figure out what to do with the little money, maybe a fund for a night out???

School

2011-02-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

The shell must break before the bird can fly.

- Tennyson

We're not quite there yet, school time anyways, but registering for Preschool got me thinking about it! Peyton is currently in an unparented, hour and a half class that consists of gym and crafts. The first three weeks we had water works, fairly heavy too. I considered pulling her from the class, but we've stuck it through and now it's just a little sad face. (week 5). I've signed her up again hoping that this is just a faze or maybe that she just needs a little push to work past this. Peyton has always been a little shy, which is boggling to Darren and I as it's not so much us. By September we will hopefully be ready to go though.

Although this is shoveling and not skating, Peyton is still in skating lesson's and moving on to level two in a few weeks. It's amazing how fast kids can find their balance and pick it up. She's skating more and more on her own now and is enjoying it, especially with her friend Olivia there with her!

Life Experiences

2011-02-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

I was a show a while back on happiness and I liked this one thought that "more happiness comes from life experiences than material things. Life experiences gain more lustre in its memory than a material thing that you may forget about 9 months later." I've always felt this way, just never really put it into words before. Hence why we always spend more money on a holiday than the latest new electronic gadget.

Last night for our new experience we (Darren and I) went to Bikram Yoga (hot yoga). I was really nervous about the hot part and perhaps passing out or getting heat stroke and Darren was nervous about the yoga part and looking silly. In the end, neither of us were embarrassed or died from the experience and almost enjoyed it! We're both a little sore today and I currenly have the towels in the laundry as we speak seeing as we sweat about a pound of water into them each! Ewww! Oh well, we'll try to go back a few more times. I got a deal on Living Social for some classes.

Also we finally got our Dominican art framed (stretched) and hung it in our bedroom. It's a great reminder of our trip and I'm glad we bought them. The photo doesn't do it justice because it's full of texture that you can run your hand over and the colors look better normally.

Another exciting new development is that our little "Nina" has started to crawl and walk with her walker! Yay! I thought for sure she'd skip crawling all together as she had little interest in it, but off we go! So things just got busier, but at least I held on and appreciated the not moving stage!

Next are just a couple photos I was meaning to blog! Superbowl this weekend (hopefully no flu this year). So GO PACKERS (if I have to choose).

Bye, Bye Tim & Emma

2011-02-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my cousin Tim and his girlfriend Emma went back to England, so on Friday night the four of us went out, first for a coffee in Kensington, a quick stop at Crave for a birthday cupcake for Emma, next to drinks at Kensington pub and then to Pulcinella's for dinner, ending up back at our local pub for more drinks as we didn't have the kids that night!

We were sad to see them go as they are such nice people and seemed to have a really good time here. They loved the skiing in Banff and the town itself and I think spending some time with us and the kids. We'll miss them, but knowing us it won't be long until we're in England again anyways! So glad they could come out and visit and they're welcome to come anytime!

not a great one of Tim, but Emma looked good!

Scotch, Haggis and Edinburgh

2011-01-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

On my recent work trip to London, the cost of an Air Canada flight to come home on either Friday or Saturday was $4,500. This price dropped to $1,100 if I left on Sunday. Being the company man that I am I agreed to come home on Sunday with two days off in lieu of being away from the family on the weekend. Since I have spent a fair amount of time in London, myself and another colleague decided to head to Edinburgh for two nights. Despite the rainy weather while we were there - it was still about 30 degrees warmer then Calgary -I was very impressed with this city and would recommend it to anyone looking to venture up north to Scotland. The people there are so much nicer than in London, people actually ask how you are and stop for you to let you cross the street.

Edinburgh is a great city with lots of great architecture, cobblestone streets, funky shops and of course old pubs. One in particular that we went to was in the Grassmarket area (just below the Castle and directly across the street from our hotel). It was called "The Last Drop" and is appropriately named because right outside the pub is where the public hangings took place 500 or so years ago. People would grab an ale and watch the hangings. The one problem with many old pubs is that toilets are old. There is always a constant smell that I'm sure has been lingering for some 500 years!

Since we only had one full day, we tried to jam as much into the daylight as we could. We grabbed the hop on hop off bus which comes with headsets and takes about 1 hour to go around to the main tourist attractions. We also managed to do a tour of Edinburgh Dungeon (not what we were expecting - it ended up being more of a reenactment, but there was a cool death drop ride at the end), a scotch tour/tasting, obviously Edinburgh Castle is a must, we saw the university and the Museum, and managed a quick haggis tasting. In the evenings we tried to get to as many pubs as we could.

We left on Sunday and of course it was a busy travel day for me. We were up at 5:45am (after going to bed around 3am) to catch a 8am flight back to London. From there we were told that the training into the city wasn't running so we had to catch a bus that took us to another train station. After an hour we arrived back at Liverpool Station where I had to get my checked bag and then due to time hop in a cab that took me to Paddington so I could take the Heathrow Express. By the time I got to Paddington I only had 2 hours till my flight left and one until the gate closed. Of course there was a power problem so the train did not leave for another 20-30mins. I was started to get a bit stressed, knowing I would not be in good favour with the Misses if I was not on my flight home - I don't think my body could have handled another night in London anyways. Well the train finally left and I was power walking through Heathrow once it arrived. I managed to get my bag dropped off and through security by 12:20 - so with 10 minutes to spare I had to hit the duty free shops to get some gifts for the girls. In hindsight I would have simply hired a car to take we directly to Heathrow from Standstead and avoided a lot of anxiety. Needless to say I had four "naps" on the flight home.

I don't know if I will ever get back to Edinburgh (as Megan has also been), but if the opportunity arose I wouldn't hesitate to visit this cool city.

Busy week!

2011-01-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

This past week has just flown by! On Saturday my cousin Tim and his girlfriend Emma came in from Manchester for a two week visit.

I'll work backwards since that's how the photos came in. On Thursday I'm please to say that I managed to get Peyton registered for preschool in the fall. Crazy that you have to start the process this early, but she's in and I have really high hopes for the Tiny Towne Schoolhouse in McKenzie Towne. She's registered for 3 mornings a week (M,W,F). I originally was going to do just two days, but that class is just for 3 year olds and she's going to be in the 3/4 class. Anyways, a little more money, but hopefully she'll like it! She's still pretty weepy in her once a week class, but I think it's just a stage that she needs to work through.

On Wednesday night we went to the Flames game with Tim and Emma. Too bad the score was 6-0 for Minnesota, but we still had fun with dinner and drinks at a pub near by before and then touring them around the dome for the intermissions.

This is them before!

On Monday we went skating at the Olympic Oval at the University. I haven't been to the Oval in years and I'm not sure I ever skated there. Anyways, it was good, we all got a turn for a few laps (except Sienna) and Tim and Emma managed on their rental skates. Next time I'd like to try the speed skates I think, just to say I've tried, plus during the "Amazing Race" one year I was telling the tv how easy it looked and I could do better! On second thought maybe that's why they have these signs for people like me that think they can do it!

Peyton still has the patience of a fly, so she lasted all of 10 minutes before she wanted a juice box!

On Sunday night we picked up Darren from the airport after a week working in London and had dinner at my Dad's. Always good food and with the extra company it was quite fun!

I think that was it, but in between there we picked up a new pair of purple socks at the Children's Hospital and gave them our annual donation. We had two playdates with Olivia and Josie. Tim and Emma are now off skiing in Banff for a week and will be back Thursday. Luckily the weather has warmed up for them so hopefully the skiing and walking around Banff will be good. Yay Chinook is here, but that means my car is extra dirty. I washed it today, but it just seemed to get the first layer of muck off. Tonight Darren, my Dad and a bunch of their friends are off to the Convention Centre for Robbie Burns night (even though they aren't Scottish) for scotch, poetry, haggis and song, so we'll be enjoying a night in!

Skating lessons

2011-01-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

This morning we had our second Parent and Tot skating lesson and I'm pleased to say that it went better than the first! We didn't say "I'm done" once, so that in itself is a better day. But we did have a bit more balance and we were even brave enough to have a ride from the teacher (she pushes them on their bums around the ice). We don't really care if she doesn't love skating like her Mom and Dad do, but as a Canadian child we feel skating is one of those things you have to know how to do, like swimming and riding a bike.
My cousin Tim and Emma arrive today so we might get another skate in while they're here. Hopefully I'll get a few photos then too!

Terrible Blogger

2011-01-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've been a terrible blogger! I think I've come to the conclusion that I NEED a laptop. I can't get sat down in the computer room (away from kids). If I had a laptop I could at least do a little here and there in the kitchen when I have a second and still watch them and without them trying to type over me! I guess it will go on my birthday list for now though.

I missed Sienna's 10 months, although in fairness it was on Christmas day. We did notice though, but I didn't blog about it. So anyways, she's got 4 teeth now (all the better to eat with) and weighs a healthy 20lbs! She's not crawling and has no real desire to. She does doddle around in her walker thingy which gives her some independence other wise she whines if she's left to sit for too long. She loves to eat, anything.....which is such a nice change from Peyton. Peyton calls her "Nina" at the moment, which is quickly becoming a nickname. She's a very happy baby. Still sad that they have to grow up!

I'm registering Peyton for preschool next week for her to start in September. Ahhh! Scary. So I put her in an unparented class this semester (7 classes) which is basically gym and art and story for an hour and a half once a week. Well, yesterday was her first class and she was the crying kid in class. On and off through the class, weepy. Oh well, we'll keep going and she'll get more used to it. She is the youngest in the class, so it's no real surprise. We also started skating lessons on Saturday morning. She needs a lot of work! yikes.

So lastly, Darren is in London this whole week, so it will be a struggle with this -20C weather! Today was our first day of hibernation and I don't think we could do two days in a row of this! My cousin Tim and his girlfriend come from Manchester (UK) on Saturday for two weeks (a week in Calgary and a week skiing in Banff) so that should be fun to have visitors, hopefully the weather will get better for them and we can keep them entertained for all that time!

I make no promises that I will be a better blogger, but I will try to sit down and type a little something out!

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well, as usual we celebrated British New Year because it's at 5pm our time. Really handy for getting the kids to be involved. We had Sarah and Chad, and their kids over to help us celebrate this year. We had a good time and it's a good way to at least feel like you've done something for New Years even though it ends around 8pm. Darren and I stayed up until just after midnight, but man I felt tired the next day. Probably the drinks!

We all dressed up in our England (or Sunderland) jerseys as an excuse to wear them.

Champagne at 5pm.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

Well, each year just gets more interesting with kids! Peyton really seems to have a good understanding of Santa, the reindeer, gifts, and chocolate. We'll work on the giving and religous story next year! Sienna was a little overwhelmed, but happy enough to watch her sister be so excited.

We left wine for Santa (to keep him warm) and cookies and some carrots for the reindeer. The shock on her face when they were gone the next day was priceless!

Peyton's Santa gift was a shopping cart, some princess purse with all the princess essentials and a shovel to help Daddy outside!

Sienna got this play table which she seems to like.

Our Christmas Day was quite relaxed. We opened gifts in the morning (Peyton even managed to open other people's gifts) and then my Dad came over to do more gifts and cook us a fabulous fry up! Mmmm... and a little Bailey's or Sherry, whichever you prefer. Late afternoon (after naps) we went to Darren's mom and dad's for more gifts and Christmas dinner. Peyton ate her usual 2 bites and Sienna ate her own, plus the rest of Peyton's! ha!

Overall Santa was very good to us all and we're enjoying having Darren around the house this week for some quiet family time. It was definitely a different Christmas without my Mom here, but I'm just glad I have two kids to keep me somewhat distracted.

O.C.D.

2010-12-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

We think Peyton may have a slight case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder these days. It started a few weeks ago with the books in her room. Certain books we couldn't keep in her room and now we are down to only 2 books allowed in the room. We can read lots of books, but when it's time to go to sleep they must be gone. We once left them in there by accident and an hour later when we came up the stairs for something they had all been pushed under the door, one by one. Strange. Now it's not just books, but little things like vaseline for her lips, or anything new that you bring in. I'm pretty sure it's just her way of controlling her environment and not actually OCD, but it is pretty funny and strange all at the same time. You can see the twinkle of control in her eyes!

On the weekend Darren and I went shopping at the new Cross Iron Mills super mall. Wow! Big! and this time of year, crazy. At least we managed to get a good chunk of our xmas shopping done. I think, knock on wood, we're actually done now.

Santa's Little Helper

Happy 3rd Birthday Peyton!

2010-12-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

We ended up doing Peyton's birthday over two days. Grandma and Papa came over to babysit on the 14th so we did cake and their gift then. See below. She got a "dolly house", which is great, but when I went to put it together yesterday it has about 50 pieces and double that of screws! I was cursing away trying to get the thing together and it took forever! So if anyone else is getting a doll house with "some adult assembly required" give yourself plenty of time and don't let the kids be there with you!

Then on her actual birthday, we went to Boston Pizza for dinner with Auntie Gina. We were a little tired and full of a cold, but we loved the balloon maker that was there, "just for her birthday".

Peyton still ate all her bugs and cheese.

Even Sienna managed to come away from her food to watch him. He made Peyton a pretty cool Genie in a lamp.

Back home for more cake (for her) and more presents!

Peyton got a cash register, some plastic food, a puzzle, a matching game, an Remote control My Little Pony, and two Barbies (one riding a Vespa)

All in all I think she did quite well for turning 3. Not sure whether we over compensate with gifts because she's a December baby or whether she'll just get less at xmas!

After Peyton went to bed, Gina and I had a little play with the toys. They're finally getting more interesting for even us to play with!

Party, party, party....

2010-12-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we had a whirlwind of a day going to 3 parties. Typical Christmas.

First up, Aon's kids xmas party. It was downtown in a room in Darren's building (Keynote). They had hotdogs, chips, crafts for the kids, facepainting, balloons, and of course the main event.....SANTA!

Sorry for the eyes closed, must be so excited!

We managed to get Sienna to sit still for 3 minutes to get a couple snowflakes painted on her cheeks. So cute, until she smudged it, but that was hours later.

Peyton didn't want to be out done, so she sat for a candycane on her cheek. Not exactly sure why the lady had to paint her whole face white and give a 3 year old lipstick?? I swear after this I was asked twice if she was feeling ok because she looks pale. uh huh.

"Sorry too busy getting glitter everywhere to smile for a photo."

And this was the good picture? What is it with babies and Santa. She howled!

Peyton still won't go up to him, but did ask the big guy some ?'s this year, not that he could hear her!

I don't know whether we were just too tired from the kids party or just wanting to enjoy ourselves but we didn't get any photos from the other 2 parties. We went to friends of ours Stu and Kirsty's next for a couple drinks to see there new place as they've just moved back to Calgary from Vancouver. Funny thing is, Stu actually used to work with Darren and now works at my work, Jones Brown.

Next up was Darren's cousin Tasha's party. They live out in Springbank which is kind of acreage country. On our way up the drive, trying to pass another car on the way out we went off the drive and into a snow ditch and got stuck. Luckily everyone out there has a truck, so we got pulled out fairly quickly. There's tons of kids at this party so we didn't see too much of Peyton the whole time we were there. Then off home!

On a side note, today is Peyton's bday, so I will be posting that tomorrow once I get a few more pics.

Cute Reminder

2010-12-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

After the very trying day with Peyton yesterday (put it this way, she was in bed by 6:30pm), I needed a reminder of how cute an fun parenting can be! The song is twinkle, twinkle, but it's hard to tell.

Today she's already been 10 times better. Too bad it came after I felt like a failure and had a semi-sleepless night of stress! Why do kids try you like that? Good thing I'm taking this discipline class next week! They're all prescious angels for the most part, but every now and then......

Drebert Wine & Cheese

2010-12-07T16:07:00.000-07:00

It was that time of year again for us to have our annual wine and cheese with a select few friends (roughly 30 or so) and it was another good event. The girls loved hanging out with some of their friends (ok just Peyton, but Sienna smiled a lot) and ate a crazy amount of chocolate.

Once the kids went to bed, I somehow lost track of hours! The night went so fast! I drank far too much wine although I didn't think so at the time and we woke up feeling tired and hung over. Ugh. Red wine. It was a great night though and we had a lot fun, hopefully everyone else did too and didn't feel as rough as we did .......although I know a few of you did :-0

This picture below was taken at some wee hour of the morning when Sienna woke up (perhaps we were too loud), she managed to go back to bed and shortly after, so did I!

Sunday was a rather lazy day, ending in Chinese and a xmas movie. Luckily we were all tired, so I didn't feel quite as guilty that we didn't leave the house. A friend of mine coined the term "Booze Blues", when you feel depressed the next day about how much you drank and guilty about not being more fun with your kids the next day. So I think that's what I had all day Sunday, the Booze Blues. Ha. Oh well, up for another party anytime now! Let the Christmas season begin!

Happy 70th!

2010-12-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

Although this post is a wee bit late, my Dad celebrated his 70th Birthday last Monday (November 29). My Dad isn't big into parties, so instead we all went out for dinner (including the kids and my brother) and then came back to our house for cake and ice cream. I think he enjoyed it, and Peyton was super

excited to have cake and help Papa open presents. The Oilers even managed a rare victory in Ottawa, which was a great way to end the evening.

Happy Birthday Dad.

Peyton the Pirate!

2010-11-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

We took this video while away. Not exactly sure where she got this from but funny none the less.

Dominican Trip Photos

2010-11-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's taken all week to get these posted. We've been a bit slow getting back into the routines. Both Darren and I and now Sienna got a cold the second day back and have been fighting through it all week. Also the kids haven't been napping the same so that's a battle and for some reason it just seems like a long week. But never the less, here we are with the photo's for your viewing pleasure.

A few side notes, Darren and I went horseback riding on the beach and through a town for lunch, so that's us on the horses. We were in a 3rd floor condo, in case you didn't know, which was really handy with kids and meals.

We're Back in Cow Town

2010-11-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Not exactly sure if we are glad to be back though with this blast of winter. We left here at 12 degrees and went to 30+ degrees and then came back to -20, Brrrr. I was wearing flip flops! Ugh! Gross. And then this morning it was -30 and I had to get groceries and bundle the kids up. Why do I live here again? At least we missed a week of this crap. Anyways, despite that we had a good time, although not sure I'm in a rush to go on another beach trip with the kids this year. It's not exactly relaxing. I've downloaded my photos just need to upload them somewhere! Anyhow, here's one of our better shots and I'll try to post more later when the kids aren't up!

Grandma's Birthday!

2010-11-02T16:28:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we celebrated Grandma's (Darren's Mom, Bernice) birthday. We went to Broken Plate for dinner and then back to our place for cake and ice cream. The kids did really well in the restaurant.

Peyton loves the whole singing Happy Birthday part and eating cake. She can't wait for her turn.

Well, I think this will be our last post for a few weeks until we get back from the Dominican, but I'll try to do one with our without pictures while were there to give an update. We have to go online anyways for our football pool so I might have time to write a little something.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T15:48:00.000-06:00

Another Halloween has come and gone and I actually think it's getting bigger and bigger over the years. There was a few really creepy houses with dry ice and blow ups on our street this year. We had a record number of kids, about 36 at last count and ran out of candy!

You may recognize this Piglet from a couple years ago. She's back (only different).

The three of them ready to go

Darren took the girls out door to door while I stayed home and handed out candy. I love seeing the costumes.

Peyton loved it and was really excited to go out trick or treating, so I don't think she really minded what she was thank goodness. She ended up going as Pocahantis and Darren was a cowboy (not too difficult to throw together)

My scary pumpkin. I wasn't actually going to carve one this year, but I threw it together and got it done by around 4:30.

Peyton thought she'd died and gone to heaven with the amount of treats she got. I've put them WAY up high, but she still remembered at 8am that they were there this morning, so it'll be a rough few days of saying no a lot! Oh well, no different than usual! Luckily the weather was nice this year, it made things a lot easier.

Scrub A Dub Dub, 2 Girls in the Tub

2010-10-29T15:16:00.000-06:00

These are the first pics of I'm sure many embarassing shots to come! I think they're cute but I'm sure when they're grown the girls might have not think so.

It's nice having them both be able to bath together. They seem to like it and it cuts down on time, especially when I'm on my own, because a certain someone (Darren) got to go to the hockey game! ;-)

Countdown, less than a week before we're all on the beach!

Sienna = 8 Months

2010-10-26T16:03:00.000-06:00

That's right, our little baby Sienna is now a whopping 8 months! She now weighs in at 18lbs 1oz, fairly average from what they say. She likes to stand against things, but not really showing any interest in crawling, but that's fine by me. She's pretty social now, likes to talk and eat (hmmm..sounds like a few people I know) and sadly is a couch potato already when it comes to her sisters shows! She seems pretty cuddly to me, but I'm not sure about with others cause I hardly let her go, a small case of baby love! She's a very easy baby and I miss her when she goes to bed!

shopping tidbit

2010-10-22T17:01:00.000-06:00

I don't have much time for a post today, but wanted to share a new tip. I had a playdate yesterday with my friend Julie and her daughters, Ava and Isla. Anyways, she was telling me that Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic Canada are all giving free shipping right now for online shopping. For those of with kids and find it hard to get out and shop that is great or for xmas gifts it's awesome and you can even just go through the sale items like I did and find a great little girls xmas dress for cheap ($17.50) rather than the usual $40 I've seen!

Sorry nothing too exciting, but thought I'd pass it along.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-20T15:08:00.000-06:00

On Monday we went to this event in Lake Chapparal, which we'll call the Pumpkin Patch, because I can't remember what it's called! Two ladies in the community organize this event for two different age groups! Talk about motivated women, but they do have older children and don't work (that's what I'm stickin' to).

Peyton was in the younger group (under 4) and we went with her friend Avery (mom is Jen) from the Twist & Shout class at the Y. They first read a story (too long) about planting magic pumpkin seeds and them growing.

Next all the kids got some magic pumpkin dust (a.k.a. glitter)

And planted their magic pumpkin dust in the grass.

Then off for a snack of Timbits and hot chocolate. Peyton had never had hot chocolate before though, so she was not fan, like anything else she seems to try the first time, but the donuts were a hit!

I didn't get a picture of this as it was a bit crazy, but after snack we went back to the pumpkin patch and sure enough a bunch (about 20) pumpkins had grown! Yay! So we all went to decorate with glue and pieces. Here Peyton had her first taste of white glue! Why do kids always have to taste that stuff!?!

This is our masterpiece which is now on our front porch with the other two pumpkins from the "hunt".

Oh and here's what baby Sienna did! She's so good it's easy to forget about her!

Cabin Closed Up

2010-10-20T14:56:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was the last weekend at the cabin. So sad the season is over, but looking forward to getting some stuff done at home too. We went up on Saturday and bagged 16 bags of leaves, cleaned out the gutter and the firepit, tidied up, vacuumed and packed up anything that might possibly attract mice or spoil. It was exhausting with both kids, but there was a feeling of satisfaction when it was over. We are now just waiting for a man to come and winterize it. Hopefully he'll let us know soon that it's been done so we don't worry too much.

This is who we work for!

BFF

2010-10-14T16:07:00.000-06:00

Not sure if they are yet, but they do play pretty good together. This is Olivia and Peyton, both the same age (a month apart).

I took this photo this morning at our usual Thursday playdate. We have a good time there and look forward to our Thursdays! We're hoping to get the girls into a skating lesson together come January! So cute!

Thanksgiving - cabin style

2010-10-11T11:02:00.000-06:00

Saturday we went up to the cabin to celebrate Thanksgiving with Kevin and Jaime and their girls. They also had another couple out with their two kids so it was nice to have a group of us. Jaime had set up a pumpkin hunt for the kids in the back yard! It took all of 5 minutes for them to find them, but it was fun!

Alex with one heavy pumpkin!

Peyton the proud owner of one!

Sienna was glad their was so many helpers!

Group shot of the best cheesy smiles ever.

Awww...she should be on a fall post card.

After the pumpkin hunt and after dinner the girls all sat nicely and watched a movie (rather loudly) while the adults took their turn to eat!

Later that night we had a dance party outside by the campfire. So here's Girls Gone Wild (kid style):

We had Thanksgiving dinner again last night at Darren's mom and Dad's and then tonight we're doing it all again at my Dad's. So in summary we get 3 Turkey dinners and I didn't have to cook any of them. SWEET!

Typical Mom Days!

2010-10-07T18:29:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went to the park and I managed to get a couple of pics. We actually had a lot of fun. I chased Peyton around while she squealed like all little girls do and Sienna could've spent all day in the swing!

Today was our Thursday playdate at Sherry's and when I got home and got the mail my (ok Sienna's) new bib was here!!! I know I'm so sad that I get this excited about a bib. My Dad actually bought it but I saw them at Spruce Meadows in the market place and they're by a girl out of Grande Prairie, her company is called PeekPea and she hand stitches them out of leather herself. They are reversable and you never need another bib, just wipe away the mess off the leather and go. They also don't use velcro, but moveable magnets. But the best part, look at how cute Sienna is in it!

Awww, right? For more info or for a gift go to http://www.peekpea.com/

I also baked 4 dozen pumpkin spice muffins this week, talk about domesticated. Darren is due back any minute now from his minor knee surgery (scope), so more to come about that and how it went.

Now that's Fall!

2010-10-05T15:04:00.000-06:00

Finally a great Fall weekend. On Saturday we made it to 28 degrees at the cabin! Crazy! Darren and I golfed while the kids went to the beach with Katie (the babysitter).

Wow, I actually look as though I know what I'm doing???

We raked up some of the leaves into a few piles for Peyton to jump in and then couldn't resist getting in them ourselves and turned out for some good pictures, but too bad we didn't have someone there to take a family one.

Later that evening Peyton had her first experience roasting marshmallows by the campfire. Her words exactly, "Mmmmm, YUMMY". To be honest I don't think she understood why we were wasting time warming them up when they are good straight out of the bag! Still it was fun to start these memories even when they're young.

On Sunday we had our friends James and Kristy come out for the day. We got a sitter for the four kids and we went golfing while they spent the afternoon outside and at the park. Sweet deal for all involved!

Bree and Peyton eating hotdogs. Since there was peer pressure they both managed to finish them. Peyton was still talking about it today how she ate hotdogs with Bree. Funny how that works.

Raspberries

2010-09-28T15:16:00.000-06:00

I don't really remember Peyton doing these, but just last week Sienna starting doing them, A LOT. It's so cute and of course as soon as I get the camera on her she gets shy, but give it a few seconds (the total length is 30 sec) and it's pretty funny. Sienna is 7 months now! Wow! Sorry for the lack of posts, I was without my camera since last Wednesday!

Cold Cabin Weekend

2010-09-21T14:49:00.000-06:00

This weekend was the first cold weekend up at the cabin and to be honest I'm not sure I would've gone except that Jamie and Kevin were going to be out this weekend and we hadn't seen them in awhile.

Shockingly it wasn't that bad! We have three electric heaters which we plugged in. We also have a wood stove, but we didn't get that going. The three heaters actually make it quite toasty, even too hot at night that you have to turn them off or at least way down.

We had fun just doing puzzles, going for fall walks (the leaves are all coming down), and watching movies.

On Saturday night we went to Kevin and Jamie's cabin for dinner. Peyton loves playing with their girls! The only trouble we had was eating dinner, but it seems we all have those issues with kids! Sienna was perfect even though we kept her up a bit past bedtime!

It's so not cold!

I hate that this photo didn't turn out. The lighting was terrible, it was well past dusk and my flash wouldn't get anything and I was far too cold to be doing this without flash! This is everyone (except me and Sienna) on the fence at the back of their place looking at the river. Apparently they saw a huge beaver (Kevin thinks he saw 3, but no one else backs him up). The girls were so excited, and it was kinda cool to see a bit of nature in our new back yards.

This was Sienna's first pony ride, or Charlie ride anyways!

Despite the crazy temperatures, it was still a good weekend. I even got to top it off with my Mom's tree planting at fish creek park, in the cold and rain with 1000's of other people. Brrrr....but will be beautiful in the summer!

Fall must be here.

2010-09-14T15:16:00.000-06:00

If you haven't guessed by our crazy weather, fall must be here. I saw that it could be rainy and yuck for the rest of this month. I guess summer over.

Peyton is starting her classes this week. Yesterday was swimming at the Trico Centre and tomorrow is a Twist and Shout class at the Y. Not too sure what that one entails, but I'm sure she'll think it's fun! Peyton had a good time at swimming, didn't want to get out of the pool, so I guess it will be good if Darren and I can put up with the yucky change rooms!

Fantasy Football has started up again for Darren and I and our "Ass In Seat Fantasy Football" League. Luckily both of us survived week one with a W, me only barely, but moving on.

Kids are back at school so we did a little art project today. We cut out butterfly's (I cut them) and Peyton decorated. She did two, but here's one.

Darren's back at early morning hockey once a week. Don't know how he does it, but it made me think I should shake up my workouts (which consist of just running). So I found on facebook through a friend, a link to South Trail Chiropractic (which is near my house) and on their facebook page they list workouts every few days, so I'm trying a few. It's all stuff you can do from home with no equipment. I like that.

Happy Fall!

Our 9/11 One Year Later

2010-09-10T20:29:00.000-06:00

(Tomorrow of course)

9/11 marks the 1 year anniversary of Peyton's burn injury. What a crazy year, but a good one. In many ways it feels like the hospital stay was so long ago, but then I was back there this week for some new socks and it feels like just yesterday. The people that we still work with there are fantastic and I still can't say enough about the greatness that is the Alberta Children's Hospital.

We've done a bunch of updates on the blog over the year and we're really pleased with the progress that she's making. Peyton still has to wear a sort of second skin (duoderm) over the raised scar parts. This will hopefully losen up the scar and move back down. She wears this 6 days a week with 1 day off. We also wear the "special socks" that are burn socks, or compression socks if you like. She has a pink pair and a purple pair which she is supposed to wear 24/7 except in water. She will need to wear this for at least another year. With burns/skin the healing process is very slow. The tops of her legs look fantastic. You'd never know anything happened, especially from standing near her. Her feet, while great, still need a bit of work around the ankles and the meshed look still needs to fade a bit more. The color is great in the legs and the feet are just a bit red.

Peyton today, you'd never know anything happened to her. I don't think it's scarred her emotionally at all (although ask her that at 16 and she might tell you different!) and she runs around like she owns the place (we're working on listening more). They physically don't hurt and the routine of the socks is quite normal for her and she's never asked why other people don't have them or why she has to have them. She still loves baths and the water in general and we're even in swimming lessons this fall, so she must not remember.

It still makes us sad to think back to that day or the hospital stay or the days before and how perfect she was, but we must move forward and we're making great strides. I can't wait to see the final outcome, but for now I'm happy that she's happy.

Goodbye and Goodluck

2010-09-09T15:33:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday Darren's brother's girlfriend, Jamie, left for Abbotsford, BC to go back to school. It was also Brad's birthday last week so we went over for dinner to help celebrate and say goodbye and good luck to Jamie. I wish her all the best and hopefully, if Brad decides to follow with his own set of dreams/goals, we'll see Jamie again. She was great with out kids and since she's going to school for child care I'm sure she'll do great.

We've had sort of a busy past week or so and the weather has been awful! I guess fall is here to stay. Sienna's been having some digestion issues (I'll spare the details) and hopefully she'll be over them soon so that I can stop worrying so much! Yesterday we were at Sheri's for our usual once a week playdate. Always a good chatting session and the girls sometimes play nice!

Check out that kids hair already!

Happy 1st Birthday Owen!

2010-09-01T15:56:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we came home from the cabin early and went to Kris and Margaret's son Owen's 1st birthday. It was supposed to be at Carburn Park but because of the lousy weather (rain) they moved it to the Boston Pizza in Riverbend. It worked out well anyways and we had a good time. Owen was SUPER excited and squeally about everything from the balloons to the cake!

Peyton was just as excited about the cake as Owen! She helped blow out the candles for him!

This is my typical stance, too busy roping in kids!

What a happy boy!

His birthday was really last week, but they've been crazy busy with moves, etc (see Margaret's blog) to have it then. thanks guys for inviting us to his special day!

Sienna Likes It!

2010-08-27T15:34:00.000-06:00

We started solids, rice cereal, with Sienna the other night and she LOVES it! I don't know what I was so worried about, because she's always been a bigger eater than Peyton was (is). She only cried when we took it away or for any pause longer than 3 seconds.

I know the quality of this photo is terrible, but I love the big blue eyes!

Yesterday because we finally got some decent weather, 31, I tried out a new bootcamp (free!) in Lake Chapparall, so when the babies (I went with a friend who has a kids thte same age), got fussy, we went to the Lake for the rest of the morning.

This weekend we're off to the cabin, although the weather is a bit iffy, but hopefully we'll get in some golf.

Oh and so so sad, but I just found out a guy, Jesse Tuer, that I went to school with including elementary, died on Monday suddenly, leaving behind his wife and two young children at the age of 31. Sometimes life is so unfair. My heartfelt condolences to his whole family.

Sienna is 6 months!

2010-08-25T14:48:00.000-06:00

Time to bring on the eating, but I'm nervous because Peyton was not such a good eater, but I have to start......tomorrow.

Today Sienna weighed in at 15lbs 5 oz. I know she's bigger than Peyton, but acording to the charts she is under the 50th percentile so she's average. Sienna is very bright and happy these days and a joy to be around for the most part. She goes to bed at 7:30 without a fuss and wakes up around 7. I've finally got them napping together in the afternoon so I can get a bit of free time to get a few things done which has helped a lot! Sienna is sitting up on her own with a little support and loves everyone that pays attention to her!