Emma - 2 months old

All 6 of us on an outing to Henderson Lake. The boys bike the loop while Isaac and Emma get pushed in the bikecart while Mommy rollarblades. Sticking with tradition Emma gets to go to lots of parks and go for lots of walks in the bikecart.

Before long Emma will be too big for the infant sling.

 Guess who started smiling at 3.5 weeks. I am serious too, that's earlier than most babies but she was all smiles every day when Daddy came home from work and picked her up. Instant smiles for her Daddy.

I love this outfit on her. What a little sunshine!

 She's starting to grab and reach for toys.

Enjoying the shade/sun in the backyard one Sunday afternoon.

Emma at 2 Months:

• weighs 12'7 and measures 23 nches long
• is sleeping through the night 9:30ish till 7ish. (Thank you Babywise for making me wiser.)
• is smiling everytime someone talks to her.
• cooing like crazy and even giggled the other day. It's still hard work to giggle though.
• loves going for walks in the bikecart with big brother Isaac while the older three bike ahead of us.
• is a great nurser and is growing like a weed
• has more hair clips/ headbands than most 10 year old girls
• is loved so much by her brothers ( Andrew has even made her a bracelet out of pipe cleaners)
• has had a million pictures taken of her already
• sleeps on her tummy
• gets tons of attention everywhere we go....I think it's the hair!
• is nicknamed Baby doll and sunshine
• gets books read to her all the time even by Isaac
• has had a visit from Nana and Papa and Nannie at 3 weeks old.
• spends a lot of time in the bouncy chair and on her playmat
• hardly ever cries
• is all eyes for her mama and watches my every move
• is such a blessing and makes me smile everytime I look at her!
• I'm still kinda in shock that we have a girl!

 



Lists 2012 - List # 24, 25, 26

Lists 2012 - List #24 The Best Things about being outside

• sunshine
• fresh air
• birds chirping
• physical activity
• playing with the kids
• parks and playgrounds
• watching soccer
• swimming lessons at the local outdoor pool
• seasons
• skating and sledding
• snowshoeeing
• smells like ocean, the forest, fresh soil, mowed grass, lilac bushes, campfires
• sprinklers and the kiddy pool
• spray park
• fishing

List #25 - Things to do this summer

• spray park
• spend a week in Edmonton with Dwayne and Trixie and kids
• spend a week at the cabin
• have Nana and Papa come for another visit
• get back in shape
• zoo
• have lots of campfires
• spend time with friends and family
• kids swimming lessons
• plan Andrew's 7th birthday
• do something special for our anniversary
• read lots of books with the kids
• save money for next summer's adventure to NS
• back to school shopping
• crafts with the kids
• hopefully connect with friend's Melinda, Tyler, Samuel and Malachi
• sat farewell to our great neighbor friend's and meet new neighbor's
• take the kids to Waterton and bike the trail

List #26 - Things I love about Canada

• 4 seasons
• variety of landscapes
• national parks
• Nova Scotia
• ocean
• mountains
• history
• culture
• friendly people
• medical care
• freedom
• people's pride in living here

June Celebrations!

Happy birthday Mommy and Luke and Happy Father's Day Daddy!

BFF Tracy always makes me an awesome cake. Gotta love the banner. We both are big into pinterest these days and getting great ideas and recipes from there. For my birthday I got 2 pound weights, an 8 pound medicine ball, a Jillian Michael's weight workout video and a blender. Ken for Father's Day got some much needed new clothes and a new shaver. It has been gift central around here lately even with all of Emma's gifts. We are very blessed and spoiled rotten!

Luke opening family gifts. Dominos, soccer ball, lego dirtbike set with truck and trailer, suitcase, spiderman hat and motorcycle.

Oh yes and a spiderman fishing rod.

We had a little party for Luke on Monday with his closest friends. Travis Petker (neighbor), Simone Harthoorn (cousin) and Seth VanderHeide(buddy). And Sam was there and Isaac and Emma were sleeping.

Opening presents in the backyard. Wac-A-Mole game, model car, money, a hose ball for in the backyard and a spiderman transformer car.

Thank you hugs!

Then we did some biking. Luckily we are in no shortage of bikes for friends to share.

I didn't make a fancy cake this year but oero cookie pops. I did have a chocolate cake mix made with whipping cream so he could at least blow out some candles.

Yummy.

It started raining out so we headed to the boy cave and played for a while. Seth and I enjoyed some air hockey. He was kicking my butt!

Luke had lots of fun and so did I, it's neat seeing how much these kids have grown even since last years birthday party. We gave a cookie pop, a bug net and a box of smarties as goodie treats.

Emma's Room transformed

 Before

 After

 Gallery wall. Sam drew the family portrait on the right.

This is the other side of the room.

So I had to change up Emma's room since it was rather boyish. I still need to find a few things to put on her shelf but for the most part it is done.

Lists 2012 - List #23 - The best things about being married

1. Sharing our faith and growing in our faith together
2. Having a soulmate to go through life with
3. having a constant workout partner
4. going on adventures and getaways
5. having a huge breakfast made for us Saturday mornings
6. being with someone who loves to spoil you
7. hugs and kisses
8. date nights at home
9. having someone to cook for and impress with your meals/baking etc.
10. sharing our families with one another
11. raising our kids to Love the Lord
12. having someone who wants to hear about my day everyday

Month 6 Week #2 - Photograph your backyard

So this is our teeny tiny backyard that we have made work for us so far. We were talking about what it looked like when we moved in just the other night. The grass was dead and brown, and was green wherever the dog had crapped. Nothing was in it, not a single flower, shrub, tree...nothing. And the recently divorced couple had two kids. Poor kids, it must have been pretty boring.

We have spent a lot of time the last five years in the backyard playing with our little toddlers and it was great. A fenced in yard where the kids were confined was perfect but now they are wanting to explore and broaden the boundaries. " I want to play out front", is all I hear these days.

I understand the front has more to offer like our new basketball net and a street to ride bikes on, and lots of little boys and girls in the neighborhood that LOVE to hang out in their front yards too. What's not to love?

I still think our backyard has something to offer and we still have some fun back there. We have a play center that we are hoping will last for one more year, and a sandbox that Papa built, and most recently we got a free chalkboard at a garage sale and hung it on the fence. I was planning on making a outdoor chalkboard after seeing the idea on Pinterest but this saves me the time and effort and some money.  We pull out the kiddy pool on hot days and that's it. We also had fun a few years back planting a tree and some shrubs.

Can't forget the firepit. It is a bit of a hazard when the kids are sliding down the slide into the pool, and when we are playing soccer but we have had some great nights hanging out at the firepit.

Luke with Mrs. Webber AKA speech teacher