Meet the boys!

Isaac is doing really well compared to how Luke reacted when Isaac was born.

Daddy tries to sneak in cuddles as much as he can but we've been finding that our hands are pretty full with all of the kids so he often gets snuggle time in the evening when the other kids are in bed.

Andrew is so thrilled to have a sister and he seems to be the most excited to hold her and cuddle her.

Isaac curiously checking out Emma in the pack and play.

Sam still refuses to hold Baby Emma but he loves bringing toys to her and blankies. This cow thing is his bandana from western day at school last week.

Saturday the boys were puzzling and wanted to have Emma close so she could see the puzzles as they finished them.

Baptism

Auntie Den held Emma for baptism.

Lots of girls were pretty entralled with her and her hair and her hairband.

Luke slept through half of the service and most of the line up. So cute nuzzled in next to Auntie Den.

Welcome to the family Emma Nancy!

Baby Emma was born Monday April 23, 2012 at 11:02am.

She weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces

Measuring 21 inches long.

We are so blessed to have a healthly little girl. You can just imagine our shock and surprise when the nurses told us it was a girl.

Ken's face says it all. I have never seen that expression on his face before. I'm calling it his "we have a girl face".

Packed up and ready to go home 24 hours later.

Baby Emma has a ton of wavy dark hair and the daintiest features.

 Thanks be to God for his amazing gifts. We are so very blessed!

Month 4 Week 4 - Photograph their eyes

Lists 2012 #17 - Things to do this Spring

1. Welcome Baby Emma to the family.
2. Get back in shape.
3. rest, rest, rest whenever I can
4. Visit with my parents and Nannie from NS. They arrive May 4 for 10 days.
5. plant flower pots
6. pamper lawn
7. watch and cheer for Andrew and Sam at soccer games

Sooner or Later...

• Apparently little babino is choosing later.
• I admit it, I've been packed and waiting for 4 weeks now.
• 2 duedates really messes a person up. (April 11 and 26)
• apparently sweeping membranes doesn't always work.
• apparently eating a bag of licorace doesn't work.
• apparently swinging on the swings at a playground doesn't work.
• apparently you can be in nesting mode for 1/2 of your pregnancy not just the end.
• apparently scrubbing the kitchen floor intensely on your hands and knees for an hour doesn't work.
• apparently patience is not one of my gifts, or talents, or attributes, and doesn't work so well for me.
• Andrew talked to my belly this morning. Wanna know what he said? " baby, don't you want to come out and see what your brothers look like instead of looking in mommy's belly all the time?"
• I have read more books in four months than I usually read in 2 years.
• I hate cooking lately and haven't been mealplanning well at all. Sometimes at 4pm I'm still wondering what to make.
• apparently loud noises like a band playing in the school gym doesn't make baby wanna come out any sooner.
• this is my venting session. The end.
  

Month 4 Week #3 - Photograph Mom and Dad's Room

Gotta love the pink carpet.

Lists 2012 #16 - Places I've Lived

1. HardwoodLands, NS (my parents first house, and then a new house they built up the road)
2. Nova Scotia Agricultural College dorm, Truro, NS
3. 3 different apartments with friends in Truro, NS (Jenny, Julicia/Darlene, Jane)
4. Wolfville, NS (lived in a suite that was built on the end of a house for the owners MIL)
5. Halifax, NS ( rented a room from a friends, friend Paul in his house)
6. Winnipeg, NS (Bakers house, and apartment with Cheryl Dow)
7. Coaldale, AB (with Mel and Pete in their trailer, our home now)

Month #4 Week 2 - Photograph Dad with kids

Luke refused to pose with Daddy this morning so this will have to do. He had cowboy day at Preschool a few weeks ago.
Indian Battle Park on Spring break. Isaac and Daddy.

Daddy throwing rocks with all the boys plus our niece Andi.

Just chill'in.

Reading over the break.

Sam and Daddy all smiles this morning before Dad left for work.

Obviously Andrew's getting heavier, look at Daddy's guns while he picks him up! (insert whistle here).

It's pretty easy to get pictures of Daddy and the kids since he is such a great Dad and is always playing with them. We all love Daddy!

Lists 2012 #15 - Favorite Children's books

Okay so I narrowed it down to 16. This is a hard list to make with four boys at different stages of reading. I really enjoyed seeing everyone else's lists to get ideas. We make a huge effort to read every night to the boys when we tuck them in so there are books throughout the whole house. We love getting books for gifts and picking some out at the thrift store.

1. How High is the Sky? by Anna Milbourne and Serena Riglietti
2. The Farm Team by Linda Bailey (Andrew's favorite)
3. The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland (Mommy's favorite)
4. The Gingerbread Man retold by Jim Aylesworth (Sam's favorite)
5. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr and John Archambault (great for speech and for helping learn the alphabet. A fav of Sam's and Luke's)
6. Brady Brady and The Missed Hatrick by Mary Shaw and Chuck Temple
7. The Terrible Horrible Smelly Pirate by Carrie Muller and Jacqueline Halsey (Mommy's favorite)
8. Give Me Back my Dad by Robert Munsch
9. Animals on The Farm (Isaac's favorite)
10. Thomas and the School Trip (this seems to be a favorite that makes it's way thru all the boys, currently a Luke fav.)
11. I don't want to go to School by Weiss and Bennett (Luke's fav.)
12. Secret Seahorse by Stella Blackstone and Clare Beaton (Luke and Mommy fav.)
13. The Fire Engine Book from a Little Golden Book classic collection (a family fav.)
14. Are you My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
15. The Cow that laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill (Mommy fav.)
16. Much More Munsch series

Month 4 Week #1 - Photograph your Easter

The kids had their school Easter concert Thursday night. It started at 7:30 which is when the boys usually are going to bed so they were pretty tired. Sam fell asleep shortly after they sang and they were one of the first to sing.
Sam is in the red and white plaid shirt at the end. We kind of noticed a trend with both Andrew and Sam on the ends of the line where the shortest in the class stands. We will see if this continues in years to come.

We also had an Easter egg hunt in the front and back yard with the 3 oldest. 32 eggs were to be found and it took them all of 5 minutes. Next year I will have to make it more challenging with clues etc.

Cousin Andi has been here for a few nights while her parents are on a getaway. She has been such a huge help to have around. Please stop growing up Andi so we can continue to have these sleepovers in years to come.

don't ya love my baskets?

Lists 2012 #14 - Projects I'd like to tackle

Projects I'd like to tackle:

• pampering the lawn and helping it turn green(still some farmgirl in me with this obsession)
• filling flower pots and transplanting some flowers in them
• Isaac's first year photobook
• not yet but in due time getting back into shape
• move our sandbox
• storage room (ongoing)
• getting baby into a routine for nursing once it arrives

Bathroom renos

So this was our bathroom before. Flooring was whiteish and kinda ugly with a green stain from the previous owners bath mat on the floor. Everything in our house was pink or grey when we moved in even the tubs, toilets and sinks are/were grey. Over time we are getting things up to date and it's been lots of fun.

This is our main bathroom now. Nice newly tiled floor that our brother in law Brian installed. Ken also painted and installed a new white toilet and a new light fixture. All we have left is to change the sink to white. The tub is still grey but is kinda hidden by the shower curtain. We've looked into painting it or installing a new tub but it's quite costly.

Our new towel rack. Again a piece of driftwood from the lake by Ken's folks with a few hooks that we bought. The anchor was given to me by Tracy and I think she found it at a garage sale.

This is our en suite bathroom with new floor, fresh paint and a new toilet. Ken also installed a new light fixture, new toilet paper holder and towel rack. It's been fun as well but definitely more costly to do the bathrooms.

Cheap room makeover

This used to be Andrew and Sam's room before we moved them to the basement. Now it's all ready for the baby.
I took old decals and everything off the walls and we started by painting with leftover paint from Andrew and Sam's recently renovated room downstairs.

This is a used glider chair I bought before we had Andrew for $50.

New fabric costs $17.00 and my Sister in Law Mel redid the cushions.

Idea from pinterest, driftwood from the lake by Ken's parents, stamp and ink from my own collection of stamps for scrap booking. Cost $0.

Completed room. The curtains I found at the thrift store for $4.99 for both, and I thought they were perfect and kind of fun. Curtain rod was given to us by friends that didn't need it anymore, crib bedding set is new to us but found on KIJIJI for $30.00. The mobile I made with stuff from home as well. Found the stick at a park one day and I traced all the circles on coordinating scrapbook paper that I already had. Cost $0. I have been told the room is pretty boyish. I was trying really hard to keep it neutral but apparently I am used to going for stuff that's more boyish. Oh well we should have that ugly pink carpet for a few years yet so that suits a girl, right?

I tell you this is totally my hobby, and I love decorating and looking for cheap ideas. This room only cost us approximately $50.00 to decorate and I just used stuff that was easy to find or that we already had.