It's Birthday Time!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNDEE!!!

aftermath

Tery thought about our turkey dinner.

let's not talk turkey

So.......Christmas was a hit.

We snuggled first thing, we opened heaps of gifts ( and were excited about the giving and the receiving), had brunch, talked to family (over and over), played Wii, played everything Sundee got, watched our new movie, tried on all our new clothes, had naps, ate snacks, cooked dinner. got dressed up for dinner in our new clothes ( and my new jewels)

sisters. they love with all their heart. I took Willow shopping and she was so excited to spend her own money to buy something that Sundee would really love. She said to me, " I am so glad I got to do this, I am excited for her to open her gifts."

Sundee went shopping at school with her own $10 and bought something for the whole family.

Willow got a pillow ( I don't know if it's a coincidence that it rhymes), Tery got pencils - cause he's a carpenter, and I got a necklace and bracelet that I wore to our dinner tonight.
We got the kids a balance board for Wii. Willow spent a lot of time on that today. There is a lot of activities to do and it's heaps o fun.

Sundee got a new gift. It really is the gift that keeps on giving because she has never been so hydrated. A good friend saw that she loved her Starbucks cup and considered Sundee's ecological footprint so decided to help her out and gave her a reusable travel mug. Now we just keep refilling it with Sundee's beverage of choice and there is no more waste. Just pure happiness and hydration.

Here we are in our new duds enjoying our Christmas dinner.

Now as a side note: those of you faint of heart stop reading now.

I decided this Christmas to cook a turkey. I've never done it before. Tery said it would be a good change from chicken. My mother in law makes a wonderful turkey ( as the kids told me after dinner - she makes the best turkey). I called her a few times during the day for advice as well as my mom. I even bought a turkey baster which I was quite excited about.

I think we'll all be fine. I'm sure it was cooked. Let's just say that I had a glimpse of my childhood and was glad for my napkin being close at hand. Ter will say the same.

In my defense, it was my first turkey.

Secondly, I have forbidden the T word (t_u_r_k_e_y_) t o be spoken for about 2 weeks. Like I said, I think we'll all be fine.

The next time I eat it that thing that Sundee kept telling me didn't look like a pig somebody else is going to have to cook it.

So Merry Christmas to all of our Family and Friends. We love you all and wish you a blessed and joyful New Year.

Christmas Eve

Our festivities have begun.

It all started with some good food. Ham rolls. Yummy cheeses. Oysters. Veggies. Crackers. Cheese Tarts. Homemade Baked Goods.

Willow with her toast to Christmas.

Sundee read us her favourite verse.

A letter for Santa in case he missed the cookies as he "pulled his big butt out of the chimney."
Santa's treats- Milk, peanuts an orange and some chocolate balls.

Now Tam will beat Tery in Scrabble and the night will be complete

We will have to be in bed early to get a good night's rest for tomorrow's craziness.

We love you all and miss our family who is far away.

one little cup

For some it might come as a surprise that one little cup, one small Starbucks take away cup, can bring a small girl so much happiness.

For those of you who have been through the "hot girl" course and done the test you will know that Hot Girls drink Starbucks- I think that was #3.

So I took my diva to Starbucks and got her a hot chocolate and this cup has been used and reused ever since. I've given her a limit and so tomorrow we'll have to throw this cup away.

The cup may go but her "hot girl" status will remain.

Yummy Goodness

While Tery was in school he promised that when he was done he would make us cinnamon buns. So last Thursday when we were all playing hooky he and I mixed the dough. It ended up in the bin.

Seeing as we had also mixed the filling and the glaze I decided to give it another go this morning.

Check it out!

I am very proud of myself at this moment.

And just so know they not only look good they are also delicious.

White Stuff!

We heard that it was coming but at the same time I was surprised. Snow!!! The kids were so excited. This is after the second snowfall but as soon as they saw the world was covered in white they were dressed in their snow gear and outside. The first thing they did was make snow angels.

Here they are being very creative and changing our steps into a slide.

It was a huge success!

After going down the step/slide for about an hour we decided to trek to the rec center and tackle a real hill. We trudged through the snow covered sidewalk and went sledding.

Sundee and I decided to go down together, Wow! We got pushed for the start and picked up speed, narrowly avoided a small girl halfway down, in our attempt to go around her we ended up backwards and headed for a tree. There was a lot of screaming and snow flying but we made it safely down to the bottom of the hill. I had totally forgotten how much FUN that is.

Then it was time to trek back home. A nice cup of hot chocolate and the day was complete.

how carpenter's study

It's a big week coming up. Lots of exams and then he is DONE!!!!!!

Why not use the tools of your trade to help you concentrate and study hard.

Oct 31

It was a smashing success. We opted out of trick or treating and instead had a party at home. Saturday we did our pumpkin carving, Willow even gutted her own pumpkin with NO gagging. Ter on the other hand did leave for an hour due to his queasiness.

Sunday we spent the morning getting massages from the girls. They are really good. Then they got dressed up and the in- house treats started flying. They would yell trick or treat and we would throw treats at them. We had a dance party, yummy snacks and a whole lot of fun.

p.s I"ve been trying to post this for a week but my photos wouldn't upload, hence the delay.

promises, promises

I was told that I made a promise to post more often and that I am not following through on that so here I am.

Not much to report. Fall has come so here's some photos of our latest shoot.

Which one is your fave?

high class camping

At our house we only do things in style. So this weekend when the kids said they wanted to go camping we said "of course." They truck was immediately swept clean, and backed into the garage- a.k.a. camp spot #1. They packed their bags of warm pj's, activities, pillows, blankets and stuffies and the fun began. They checked in at 12 noon on Saturday. The day was spent playing games, getting organized and doing who knows what in their new camping truck. There was a break in the evening for a movie and some fish and chips. (other wise they were in the truck ALL day.) It was back at the campsite for bed and they slept all night and woke up this morning totally psyched. Seeing as their camper had wheels they went for a little ride this morning ( much to some neighbors dismay) and cruised the neighborhood. (we'll keep this on the down low please) and so ended a great camping experience.

10 of my Favorite Things

1. Sunshine - it is not to be taken for granted.

2. Crisp cool nights - they're so good for sleeping

3. Pizza/Movie night - it has become a tradition we can't do without

4. When the kids are watching something and Sundee keeps saying "Willow, Willow, Willow", until she finally gets answered.

5. Stereomood - it's a website where you pick your mood and it has a playlist of songs that you usually wouldn't listen to.

6. Running

7. The Shopaholic books - I'm reading the new one right now... so funny!

8. Checking something off of my ToDo list.

9. Sunshine - did I mention that, it really is my favorite.

10. Walking in the forest with my family.

it's been a long time.

I was surprised when I saw my last post. That was ages ago. The reason I do this is so our family can see what we're up to and we did see them all this summer but....

I will try to do better. Perhaps I'll have to call and tell you I'm back in bizness.

So seeing as it's been so long here are some of our highlights from the summer:

it all started when the "hot girls" came to visit.

they were so pleased when they passed Sundee's test.

camping at Little Qualicum Falls

This is Cameron Lake. Absolutely Beautiful.

Nick "Zoolander" showing us his signature Blue Steel Pose.

Experiencing a true Manitoba storm whilst camping.

Scary and amazing all in one.

Visiting my old homestead.

These peaches grew right in our backyard.

They were so juicy and yummy. My assistant and I baked a pie.

She cut them all up by herself.

The end result.

Time for back to school.

Dressed in their new clothes and ready for a new year.

So that was pretty brief. Like I said I'll try to do better and you'll see much more of us.

Happy Mother's Day

What a wonderful day. I am wonderfully blessed to be a mother to 2 beautiful girls.

Being a mom is my favorite job. They challenge me each and every day and at the end of the day, no matter what kind of a day it is, I feel lucky to have them in my life. They make my laugh they make me cry but they make me who I am today. I am truly a better person for having them in my life.

They both presented me with their gifts early this morning and an abundance of cards. They both made these beautiful pottery creations at a workshop at school.

Sundee gave me this gorgeous bird's nest with the mama and baby birds. I just love the colors.

Willow made this jewelry box, the lid comes off, and about 4 cards full of all sorts of wonderful words and love.

We hiked, we ate food, we played at the park, we snuggled. It was a great day.

Happy Mother's Day to our 2 wonderful mom's whom we miss so much and wish we could be with today.