So Sad and Dissapointed

We just got the call from Linden Christian and our kids were not accepted for next year :( I couldn't get off the phone fast enough for fear of crying but I am so, so sad.
I have been praying so hard for this and really felt after the interviews that this was the place for our kids and family.
Now we are back to square one :(

Wordless Wednesday

My baby is 2

Two years ago our littlest girl entered the world. I can't believe how much time has passed and how much she has grown.
I am happy to say she now finally sleeps through the night (most nights). Walks, runs, jumps and is starting to say some words. Her first word was about a month ago and we are proud to say it was "bum". Pronounced BUMMMMMMMMMM. Other words that are coming along are, "all done", "more" (which she also signs), She also signs for milk. Granted most two year olds are talking way more than her we are certainly not worried.
Jordyn was by far my hardest baby with colic that seemed to last forever, a lactose intolerance that was likely the cause of her colic, not sleeping through the night for what seemed like forever, and being an unexpected surprise on top of it all :D

However, with all that being said she is the sweetest little thing anyone could hope for and we are all happy to have a wonderful little girl in our lives.

Happy Birthday to my little peanut and princess Jordyn!

Excited, Nervous, Scared, so many emotions

All over a trip to Mexico for my brothers wedding. They have chosen to have a destination wedding at a very swanky resort and we can't all go as it is just WAY too much money. I am lucky though that I am going. At first I was going to bring Jordyn because way back when this was first discussed she was still quite young and pretty hard to deal with as a baby. Plus babies under two travel free ;) I figured that way hubby would only have to deal with 3 kids instead of four.
As the date gets closer though (next month) Jordyn will be such a drag to have with me. I mean I'll be relegated to my hotel room for naps and early bed times while everyone else is out having a good time. She is also a much better baby now so she can stay home with dad.
I think it's funny though that most women would die for chance to get away for a week to some exotic and hot place without kids and I'm terrified. I've teared up a couple times this week already thinking about leaving them.
I have so many crazy thoughts that I know are unfounded and really quite ridiculous but I can't seem to help it. I know a big part of my issues are control. For instance I really don't think the week at home is going to run anywhere like it does when I'm home. I'm worried homework won't get done, meds won't be taken, Corey will have an asthma attack, Jordyn will be in her crib crying all night because no one will hear her, the kids won't have baths and will eat KD for a week, morning, noon and night. Then of course there is the chance my plane will crash and that this fate of KD and no baths will be their life for the rest of their childhood!!!
Now of course I am totally looking forward to getting away. It will be so nice to sleep in and enjoy the hot weather.
I guess it's true though that you NEVER stop being a mother. Even when I will be thousands of miles away I know that most of my thoughts will be on my family and my children. I know that KD for a week and no baths will not be the death of me or them and I know my hubby is quite capable so I just need to relax.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I haven't even left yet and I'm already appreciating what I have more than before.
I thought I should throw a pic on this post as my last couple haven't had any. Check out the amazing frost we had the other day.

Hypocrite?

As most of you know I am a wanna be hippie ;) I cloth diaper my kids, I wear cloth pads myself (TMI I know...) I use reusable everything I can and only natural products for cleaning as well as on my skin and my children's skin.
I've been thinking a lot lately though about the fact that I don't follow this lifestyle for my diet. If anything I consume more "poison" in my eating habits then anywhere else in my life. With all the chemicals in our foods and additives it is no wonder the human race is full of disease and behaviour problems.
So, I wonder why am I so concerned about our environment and the world we live in but not my own body? The answer I would give is that our world needs to last for generations to come and so my children have a healthy environment to grow and live in. I wonder though wby I don't think my children deserve a healthy mom to grow and play and live with?
I have read quite a bit on "clean eating" and this is something that totally appeals to me. I realize it is quite a task to take on but I would really like to try this one meal at a time.
If anyone has any great tips or books or websites please leave a comment.

Yelling

I do WAY too much of this. Part of it of course it trying to be heard over the chaos of my kids but much more is related to sheer frustration and anger. There I said it. I have known this for quite some time but to actually admit it is a whole different deal.
I consider myself a little bit if an AP (attachment parent) and yelling all the time just does not fit into the life that I want my kids to experience or myself.
I read something quite a while ago about Non Violent Communication. To be totally honest I didn't give it a whole lot of thought or research but I think I might look into this a little bit.
I am also going to count to 10 every time I want to yell. I mean really the things I am yelling about are far from life or death situations so if I need a 10 second countdown to not yell I think it will be worth it.
Anyway that is my thought today. I want a more peaceful house and it needs to begin with me.

Camping at Tulabi Falls Nopiming Park

Our last big hurrah! The "big kids" went to the boat with Grandma and Grandpa and we really wanted to try out Tulabi Falls.
Back in the day when Jay and I were just dating we camped out at Black Lake and it was beautiful. Now Nopiming Park is really situated in the middle of nowhere. There are very few services and no running water or real toilets. Because we were only going for the weekend though we were pretty sure we could rough it for a couple of days ;)
We pulled in on Friday in the dark because of course it is dark by 7:30 now :p Jayson was doing such a good job setting up our big tent by himself and just as I commented one of the poles broke. Totally crappy but what can you do? Jay being the creative and handy guy that he is found a temporary solution and here it is


With the tent being erect we were in business. We had great fire and put the kids to bed. It was a beautiful evening and the stars out there were incredible.
The next morning started like any other morning when you are camping. A big fire and making breakfast. We were going to hard boil eggs instead of scrambling because it is a way easier clean up. However on the way from the cooler to the picnic table our eggs dropped everywhere. So the ones we could save ended up scrambled ;) No big deal breakfast is served. After a while we figure we'll go do some exploring. We grab a map from the office and head off in the van to some hiking trails etc... we figure the kids will nap while we drive and then we can enjoy the rest of the day.
As we are driving down the most gravel and bumpiest roads ever and winding round and round Matthew pukes everywhere. Give it 10 minutes after we have cleaned up as best as we could and it's Jordyn's turn to get sick. Another stop and clean up and Matthew goes again. By this time we are an hour and a half from our campsite in the middle of no where. Obviously we turned back and hoped the puking was done.
Luckily they both fell asleep and we got back to camp.
Had some lunch and continued our day. That's when I broke my toe! I could not believe our luck so far. It was time to pack up and head home.

Oh Yeah... Banff

So I kind of forgot to update about our Banff trip again and to be honest, at this point I really don't remember what days what events happened.
I will summarize it this way. I had a wonderful time. We saw tons of wildlife. There was a bear in our campground. We stayed at Two Jack Lake Main and it was perfect. We drove the Icefield Parkway to the Glaciers, We saw lots of waterfalls including Athabaska. We hiked lots of trails Moraine lake and Bow Falls. We went and toured the Cave and Basin which was really neat.
We went to Lake Louise, Canmore, Jasper, Calgary and even stopped at Drumheller and went to the Royal Tyrell Museum.
We sat in the hot springs at Banff,shopped,swam in cascade pond (it was freezing)

Anyway, it was wonderful and I could easily and happily go back and do it all over again. Maybe next summer ;)

September 11, 2001

It is amazing to think that the tragedy of 9/11 was already 8 years ago. I know for me it is still fresh and just think of ALL the major changes in the world since then.
A tragedy that has affected us all and yet every year it seems to become more and more a distant memory.
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the news hit and what crazy, heart stopping news it was.
I have a heavy heart today for all the families who lost their loved ones on this horrible day and my thoughts and prayers go out to those families :(

Back to School

Today was the day that most parent's have circled on their calendar. It is bittersweet as today is the day that the kids "get out of my hair" and back into routine. It also means it is that much closer to the end of summer though which is a horrible thought :(
I just realized I forgot to send their kleenex boxes to school with them so I suppose I will send them tomorrow.
Kianne was nonchalant about the first day of school and shot me down when I asked her if she wanted me to walk with her. I guess that is what happens when you go into grade 5 ;)


Corey was excited to ride his bike and see all his friends. The only reason he wanted me to walk with him was so I could help him carry his stuff. I guess in grade 3 it is still acceptable. When I realized that he just wanted to use me as a donkey though I sent him on his way ;)

I am really looking forward to this school year and have high hopes for a great year. Corey has a really good teacher that I know he likes and Kianne's so far seems nice. Unfortunately she will always be the guinea pig with teachers as she is the oldest.
So with the first day being done and only 9 more months to go... here's to a Happy Back to School Day for students, parents and teachers :)

Best Long Weekend Ever

Due to a change of plans on the Edmonton side we ended up being in Manitoba. As dissapoining as it was to not be able to be with Michael this past weekend we had a great time anyway.
With summer weather finally arriving we took full advantage of it! We booked a campsite at our favorite place and did lots of hiking and swimming and wading and sightseeing etc...
Of course there were a few bumps to the trip including deflated air mattresses, a big rock in the windshield, a broken ignition that Jay was thankfully able to fix and banana on my most favorite mei tie among other "little bumps" that seem to happen when you go camping with little kids. But the weather was amazing, there were almost no mosquitos and the kids actually slept really well.
The "big kids" didn't want to come so they stayed with their Dad. It's to bad though because I think they would have had a blast with all the kids there. Plus it would have been fun to have them along.
We only stayed two nights just because it was too hard sleeping on a bed of rocks. We got home late Sunday night and then on Monday spent the day at Hecla Island and Morton Park.I still like Opawpiskwa way better but at least we know :)
We are hoping that we'll be able to get out one more time this year for some fall camping seeing as how my September is open!

Welcome Back

Yes I am welcoming myself back. I feel like I have been on a blogging hiatus the last little while. I have all sorts of things to write about but just can't seem to find the time to sit down and do it. I mean for goodness sakes I haven't even finished blogging about our trip to Banff and in 10 days we are leaving to Edmonton.
The kids are in their last week of swimming lessons and registry for fall activities are in full swing. Kianne will figure skate again and both the kids want to play guitar. Corey will finish up soccer in the fall and take a break over the winter before starting up again in the spring. It really works out quite well that the kids have found things they like during opposite seasons. Better for scheduling and great for the wallet ;)
I have been super busy with weddings and have not had a weekend off since we got home from Banff. I have another one this coming up Saturday and then a little break in September. As much as I love it I am ready for a break. I just want a full weekend to relax and if the weather is nice we will hopefully take off.
Like I mentioned earlier we are going to Edmonton for sure the first weekend of September to go visit Michael. If there are anymore nice weekends i.e. not freezing temps we will for sure pack up the tent and head out!

Day 3- Swimming?

Brrr... that is one thing about being in the mountains there are no beaches or nice warm lakes to enjoy summer swimming. Kids being kids though want to swim in the summer. We asked around and there were two suggestions for swimming lakes. One was Johnson lake and the other was Cascade Pond. We chose Cascade pond because it was closest to our campground.
The colour of the water was amazing and the scenery, breathtaking... oh and the temperature as well ;)

Day 2-Setting up camp

After a good rest in a nice bed, a swim at the pool and a soak in the hot tub while admiring the scenery it was time to leave that oasis and get to the campground to rough it ;)
We drove to Banff and found a great place called Two Jack Lake. There was a main site and a lakeside site. The lakeside site was crazy busy and we prefer our privacy when we are camping so we chose the main one. The only problem with the main one was that there were no showers. The way we figured it though we would stay here for 2 or 3 days and then when we go to Jasper get a site with showers.
The kids were really good with helping out. We got the our circus tent all set up, dining tent was up and Jay bought a great little battery air pump that had our air mattresses up in no time. While he was setting up camp I got to bar b quing some hot dogs for lunch. A quick lunch and then we were off to see the sights.
We drove around town and got our bearings.
We wanted to hike to Bow Falls but ended up driving past it. We got out and saw it and thought it would be kind of pointless to hike it now so stopped for some photos anyway.

Day 1-Canmore Alberta July 19th

What an amazing journey we had for a week in Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Drumheller. A part of me says I could stay there forever with the beautiful mountains and ice blue lakes but the part of me that loves our lakes that we can swim in says I am happy here.
I could have taken sooo many photos of the gorgeous things we saw however I wanted to enjoy our trip in real time so I limited it to 200 ;)
I'm not sure if Jordyn was car sick or what came over her but she threw up and had diarrhea the whole way there :( By the time we got there she had no clothes on and everything we had access to was either poopy or pukey.
Otherwise the ride there was really good. Jay and I took turns driving with of course him doing the most. I just cannot see well enough in the dark so he gets stuck. He seems to enjoy it though and finds it relaxing.
We left Saturday night after a wedding I shot (July 18th) and we arrived in Canmore at about 3pm and after a full night of driving and changing sick babies. Once in Canmore we decided we would hotel it for the first night just to get a good nights rest and cleaned up etc... We found a great little hotel with a pool for the kids and who would let us bring Lacey. Dinner consisted of Dominoes Pizza and then we explored town a bit. A swim and an early evening to bed in lush beds and we were all done for the day.

Hotel was Quality Resort.


View from our room


some friends along the way :)

Trip has finally been decided!!!

I am so excited! We have finally figured out what we are doing for our holidays this summer. I was finding it hard to get motivated to pack and get things ready when we had no idea what our destination was going to be.
We bought our circus tent (aka family tent) and it is wonderful.



It sleeps 13 and is 222Sq.Ft. It is also nice and tall so you can actually stand in it.

Now the question that remains to be answered though is, where are we going?



Banff, Alberta. With that decision being made I am in full throttle packing and organizing mode. I have lists made and piles have developed that contain all the necessities for camping with four children two being toddlers.
Can hardly wait to take the pics and enjoy the scenery!

Bath Hair aka Bad Hair...

This is what happens when Daddy gets you out of the bath ;)

Should have stayed in bed....

You know when it's one of those days where life would have been better had you not even gotten out of bed? Well so far today has certainly been one of them. The funny thing is that this morning for my fb status I specifically commented on what a great day it was going to be and it's like karma just had to come along and bite me in the a$$.
We started off the day by going to church where I worked in the nursery. Pretty safe so far. Jay sat in the service himself and of course our pastor went way over time but that is pretty much par for the course.
After church we wanted to run some errands and thought we would grab lunch at Costco. While there I let Jordyn play with my wallet as she was sitting in the cart. In this wallet of course had my cash from last nights wedding, my ID and all my bank cards etc... Well wouldn't you know somewhere along the way she must have dropped it! Panic sets in as we retrace all our steps through Costco. Can't find it anywhere. Oh did I mention this is the first time I'd even used this wallet?!? New purchase from Etsy.
Home we go feeling super deflated and depressed as everything I had worked for yesterday is gone :(
Get home and the phone rings. It is one of my couples waiting for me to do e pics at the park. Holy Smokes I totally forgot. I apologize profusely and run over there to do their session.
Hopefully that is all the mishaps for the day because I'm pretty worn out.
I'm just hoping some honest person will come across my wallet and turn it in...

Crappy Weekend

I was so disappointed this weekend. Thursday night Jay went out of town to do some fishing overnight and then the plan was to pack up and spend a night out in the Whiteshell camping. I had planned our menu and ordered a sleep sack for Jordyn. The camping stuff was put together and ready to be thrown into the van for our quick trip.
And then it rained. And it rained, and rained, and rained, for 2 solid days. Oh but don't forget the wind. I guess we could have gone but I would much rather sit in my house doing nothing than sit in a tent doing nothing :p
So what did we do this weekend? We had a playdate and dinner with some friends on Friday evening. Saturday went for a pedicure with Carrie and ran some errands with Jay and the babies. Sunday the sun finally shone in between the clouds so we went for a bike ride this morning, did some more errands, washed diapers, went for another bike ride and finished a wedding.
I guess overall it wasn't really a horrible weekend... just not what I planned.

A Busy but Great Weekend

We had a super busy and activity filled weekend but it couldn't have been better.