Field Trip to Ft. Edmonton

As a mom I am so thankful to be a stay at home mom. There are some days when I wonder what it would be like to be a professional working women but then I have these special days when I get to go with my kids on some special trips and it makes me thankful that I am able to do this as these days are not going to be around forever. This was a trip to Ft. Edmonton with Rylan's class. This was the olden days of school. Boy was this teacher ever strict. LOL
Standing outside the school house. It is an original school house that was moved to Ft. Edmonton from St. Albert.

Rylan at the mercantile.

We are making ice cream. It sure made us thankful for the time in age that we live in where we can go to the store and buy ice cream instead of spending an hour making it. :)

Best Buddies.

This was a fun day and I will always be thankful for the time that I have been able to spend with my children on their field trips.

Out Side Fun

This was a very busy weekend but so much fun. It was so nice to have the girls to play with and the boys really enjoyed it. Thankfully we still had their swings and they spent very ever being pushed in them.
Lunch time. Boy are they getting big.

Going for a walk. I remember when we got this stroller and how small they looked in it.

We are so thankful that it was nice outside so that all the kids could play. This is such a beautiful picture of KR.

They each had their favorite toys to play with. KL loved the bike.

KL even managed to pull around Stefan as he hitched a ride. LOL

The Easter Bunny leaves some great treats for the kids. This is what Rylan and Keagan got. Everyone needs a really soft pillow pet. :)

Stefan got his race track. We have had a lot of fun with it.

You know you are getting older when you get ties from the Easter Bunny. LOL Darien loves ties.

The girls enjoyed their bubble machine and slippers. They are so good at putting on their own shoes and they couldn't wait to put their slippers on.

Jamie got a Bocce ball set and his favorite Easter chocolate.

Some snuggle time while watching a movie.

The girls loved playing with the boys. This was so much fun. We loved having the girls for the weekend and seeing how well they are doing. It was hard to have them call us mom and daddy. One night Jamie went up to their room to tell them to settle down and go to sleep and when he walked into their room KR looked up at him and said "DAD" and puckered up her lips for a kiss and it was the cutest thing and most heart wrenching. We love theses girls so much and are thankful for whatever time we get with them.

Money Managing

So once a month the boys get paid their allowance. Jamie has always loved dealing with money and this is no different, he becomes the banker and it is so much fun to watch. The boys have to go and get their three different piggy banks so that they can disturbe their money to different things.
As members of the church we pay 10% of our income to the church, so we are teaching our boys the same thing, we are also teaching them to but 10% into savings for missions or school and the rest they can use for whatever they want.

They really enjoy the process and trying to figure out how much they save and pay. It is a great teaching tool.

Our Easter Hunt

This was our second year getting together for our outside Easter egg hunt at Jo and Dave's family cabin. There was a lot more snow this year than last which made the hunt for the older kids a little bit more challenging.
Getting ready for the hunt!!!
The little ones had a great time and it was so cute to watch them collect.

This was a very exciting weekend for us because we got to have our girls for the whole weekend and it was so much fun and so much work. LOL It was so wonderful to have them.

Stefan still collecting eggs while eating the ones he had already. :)

We had the older kids finding their own color so that everyone got the same number. Rylan found all his.

Keagan warming up his feet by the fire after finding his eggs. The snow was over the top of their boots so their feet got a little chilly.

Darien is still not to old to participate in the hunt. I know that day will come but I am thankful that he is still happy to play and have fun.

The dads hanging out. I love that they are all wearing their rubber boots. LOL

KR and KL eating their dinner.

KR fell and hurt herself and just wanted to be held by Jamie. She went over to him crying "Daddy" and then snuggled with him for the next 15 min. Jamie was in heaven. We had a wonderful day and the kids really enjoyed their time.

Library Time

This is some special time that I get to spend with Stefan. We registered for a story time at the library once a week and it was a lot of fun. There was a little bit of everything, stories, crafts and music. I am so thankful for the time that I get to spend with Stefan. It is amazing how quickly the time has gone and pretty soon all my children will be at school. What a blessing it has been to be able to stay home with each of them.

Happy Birthday Jo

This is such a funny picture. I am pretty sure that I am close to tears because we are laughing so hard. This was an evening spent celebrating Jo's 30th birthday. What a mile stone. LOL We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and just hanging out together. Happy Birthday Jo!!!

Sun Run 2011

Here we are again for our 4 year in Vancouver for the Vancouver Sun Run and it was another great weekend. This year Amy joined us for the run and it was so much fun. As is tradition we spent some time over the border doing some shopping, then to White Rock for some lunch before going to Vancouver.
We were excited to try a new hotel but we had to take a picture of our sleeping situation. When Jamie called to confirm that there would be enough room for us all to sleep he was told that the beds are super twins that are slightly smaller than a double but it was a lot smaller than that. Amy and Amber where such troopers and this is now they snuggled for the night. LOL

The morning of the run. Sadly, Amber was not able to run this year because of her injured foot but it was still great to have her there. Amy was really pumped for the run and it was great to have her there.

This how we left our sweet Amber, I was kind of wishing that I could stay too after not sleeping well and being sick through the night but alas we had to run. LOL

We were laughing so hard watching Amy close her suitcase. She did a little bit of shopping. LOL

It was such a beautiful day in Vancouver. It was so refreshing and it was great to sit out and enjoy a nice lunch together before heading back to my moms. I love this weekend away for the girls and I look forward to it ever year. I am so thankful for a supportive husband that gives me this time with friends. I know that the boys enjoy their time with daddy too.

Lacrosse Is Here

This was a very exciting weekend for Rylan because he got to play goalie in the half time game at the Edmonton Rush Game for lacrosse and it was so cool. He looked so cute out there in all the huge equipment.

These are the professionals. I would never call myself a sports buff but there is something about lacrosse that just gets me going. LOL I can yell just as well as the person next to me when we are watching these games. :)

We were very lucky to get tickets so that we could all go to the game. Stefan did pretty well but he is still a little young.

But the older boys loved it. Lacrosse really is our family sport. We love basket ball in our off season but it is the one sport that we always go back to. :)

This was Jamie's first really game and he really enjoyed it. He liked how fast paced it was. It was so much fun to actually be at something like this together as a family. It just goes to show we are moving on to the net stage of life with our kids and it is a lot of fun.

Safety First

Anyone that has boys can understand that they have a fascination with guns. We are not huge gun people but we feel that it is import for them to learn safety when dealing with guns. We are very lucky to have a friend that is a police officer and is very well educated in guns. He is always more than happy to take the boys and teach them.
Darien has done this before and this time he was able to try a bigger gun. It has some real kick to it.

Rylan's first time going with the big boys. He really enjoyed it except for when the empty shell flew out of the gun and down his shirt burning his chest. He is just fine but it really did show the boys that you have to be so careful.

Keagan had some great shots this time and is definitely getting better.

Even Jamie got in on the action. It was a great way for the boys to spend an evening together. I am so thankful for our friend for taking the boys and really teaching them about gun safety and how they are not just cool but need to be respected.

Our Final Days Miami

This was our morning spent waiting to get off the ship, really just hoping that it would turn around and take us back out again.
We spent a few extra days in Miami to do some shopping and just a little bit more time in the sun. A lot of the time was spent in the pool with the boy doing some great moves. LOL

Darien's turn to show his moves.

This was such a wonderful trip and I can't wait for our next. Till next time friends!!! Love You All :)