My Baby Goes to School

I know that this day has been coming for a long time but really is it here? Yes, Stefan is now in playschool three mornings a week and I can't believe it. I think that Stefan and I are both ready. Stefan has been so excited for this day.
He was so funny this morning and had to take a ton of funny pictures. LOL

He is such a ham.

I am pretty sure that this was shout of joy. LOL

He is so lucky because he has three friends that are all going to the same playschool and they are together in the same class. This is his best friend Aidan.

I have no idea how many times I have gone down these stairs. I find it hard to believe that this is our sixth year of going to this play school. And that so long ago it was Darien going to his first day of play school.

It is so hard to believe that all my kids are getting older and that I am getting older. I feel like I have moved on to a very different stage of life. I am having a little bit of a hard time adjusting to not having little ones around. I am beginning to wonder what people do to fill their time. I have started really taking time for myself each morning that Stefan is at playschool I am doing my running and it is great. It is so nice to have time to myself and not to try and squeeze it in around other peoples schedules. What makes it even better is that Stefan loves school every day he asks if it is his day to go to school. Thankfully he gets three great mornings a week and so do I. LOL I can handle that for now. I am sure it will be a different story when he is at school full time. Then I will be really lost. :)

Telus World of Science

Today I decided to take the kids to Telus World of Science as it was free admission for the day. I thought what a great way to spend the day while Jamie was working and the boys always enjoy exploring and playing. This was the best display because there is nothing better for boys than smelling all the different gross smells of the human body. LOL I love Keagans face in this picture.
I even got under to have a look to see what it look like in a pond. It was so neat to feel like you were in the water with the fish.

Hands on. This is just like the piano from the movie big. The boys really enjoyed trying their skills on the piano.

These mirrors are so cool. We had a really good laugh seeing how different our bodies looked.

The great tower building. Darien managed to make a pretty tall tower. These blocks were so cool. They were a soft plastic/foam so they didn't hurt when they fell.

Lets get creative. LOL

Keagan's was pretty solid. Stefan's official job was knocking them all over. LOL

One day Rylan dreams of being an astronaut. I love that my kids dream big and you never know they might actually do it. I will do all that I can to help them achieve their goals and dreams.

They even got to do a little bit of rock climbing.

We were able to stay for the whole day. I packed us a lunch so that it was a completely free day and boy was it fun. We were able to stay for one of the science shows and Keagan was so excited to get picked to go up and help. It was such a great way to spend the day with my boys. There was something for all of them.

Family Fun

August was a very busy month for us. We have never had so many visitors in one month. We were so excited to have my cousin, her husband and three kids come for a visit from England. They were with us for a few days to recover from their jet lag before heading out to BC for some touring around there. Just to had to the list of visitor is my mom and niece, Jamie's mom, and an old friend from BC that we haven't seen for a really long time. It was great having so much company.
When my cousin and her family came back we had them for just under a week and it was nice to show them around our city. We didn't really stray too far from home but we did go into the city one day to play and have a picnic. We were really luck this day because they had a lot going on.

The boys were really excited to see the bouncy castle.
Keagan and the girls got in a little bit of golf.

Then it was time for bowling. Stefan was so happy when he knocked over some of the pins.

One tired little boy. Watching Daddy make smores.

All the kids loved making the smores.

Our goodbyes. We had such a wonderful visit. I can't wait to go over and visit them again. We are already planning out next trip together when they come back for another visit.

Thanks for taking the time to visit. We had so much fun and there was a lot of laughter watching or husbands hit it off. There were a lot of trips to Timmy's for doughnuts. LOL We are all doughnutted out. LOL See you in two years.

Its The Most Wonderful Time of the Year LOL

We love singing that song to our kids when it is back to school time. This summer was so wonderful that I really didn't want school to come. I enjoy having my kids home but I know that we all benefit from having a schedule. Towards the end of summer they were ready to go back also. It was so much fun shopping for their back to school outfits this year. I love being able to take the boys out and see their different styles. Darien was all about the pink and lime green.
Everything that Keagan picked was read.

Rylan doesn't really have a style yet. He was just happy to go to school. LOL

This is totally who Rylan is. LOL

I am so lucky that Darien is still happy to have me take him to school and take pictures of him in his classroom. I can't believe that he is in Grade 6 already. Where has the time gone. I hope that this year is another great one for him.

His teacher this year seems really good. They each get a chore each day that has to be completed which I think is a great idea. I think that this might be the last year that I get to take him to class :( They grow up so quickly.

Rylan started grade 1 and boy was he excited. He has a great teacher this year, it is the same teacher that Keagan had for Grade 1 so that will be good. Let the fun year begin.

How exciting is it to have your very own locker. It was a great start for Rylan.

Grade 3 is a pretty big deal. I can't believe that all my kids are getting so big. Keagan has two great teachers this year. I really hope and pray that things will be easier for Keagan this year.

Keagan is so smart and loves learning french. Now it is Rylan's turn to follow in his foot steps. This is going to be a great year.

Our Final Day

I don't even know how to describe this day. This one of the hardest days. This was our final day with the girls before they left our home. It has been the most wonderful, challenging, heart breaking, joyful 1 1/2 years that we have ever had. We have been so blessed to have these beautiful little girls with us. They have brought a joy to our home and they are going to be missed. Even as I write this it has been almost 2 months since they left but the emotions are still there. I can honestly say that the day that they left I managed to keep it together but I think that is only because I was emotionally spent by the time this day finally came. The boys did great.
The build up to this day with the anticipation was almost too much. There is such a huge sense of guilt, sadness, and relief. Guilt because just look at those cute little faces. Sadness because of the unknown future for them and relief because of all the unknown and frustration for them over the last year. We truly loved these little girls and even now have a hard time looking at their pictures.

Every day was so much work but seeing their smiling faces was so worth it. They were a great addition to our family and we have always felt that they were meant to be in our home but we just didn't know for how long.

We pray for them and their future each day and hope that they will grow up to be loved and happy girls.

We miss them terribly and the boys ask often when we will be able to see them again and we tell them hopefully for their birthday, but we have to give them time to adjust to their new family and really forget us, which is hard because we will never forget them.

Today was just a sense of feeling numb and a little lost. I am thankful for family and friends that helped support us through this. Hopefully, one day they will come to know us as Uncle Jamie and Auntie Tracy and we will be able to stay a part of their lives.

My final goodbye, how my arms felt so empty when they were gone but I can now look to the future with my own boys and all that lies ahead for us. As we told the boys it isn't goodbye only see you later. I had a hard time when we got home but we have enjoyed just being us and the freedom that we now have. This is the first time since having Darien 11 years ago that I don't have to worry about nap time, diapers and diaper bags. This is a whole new feeling for me and I know that it is going to take a little while to get used to but I know that I am going to enjoy my boys and my special time with Stefan before he grows up too fast. But they will always be in my thoughts and prayers.

Movie Night

This is such a tradition. Sometimes we light to try something different and so this time we got out a big air mattress and lots of blankets and settled in for a good movie.
The boys enjoy movie night so much that they don't want to miss it. Keagan is in basketball this year and the practice is on Fri. night and every Fri. he says don't get a good movie. LOL Just because he doesn't want to miss. So cute.

Legislature Fun

We had so much fun this day. We decided to take the kids to the legislature to play. I brought back a lot of memories. When we first moved to Edmonton we stayed in hotel for three weeks and it was just down the street from the legislature and Darien and I used to go and play there a lot. It is so neat to see the kids playing and having fun. It was such a beautiful day.
Daddy and the girls. This is one of the last days spent before the girls leave and it was great.

Stefan loves the water. Thank goodness for water shoes because the little rocks are a little hard on the feet but it doesn't stop them. LOL

Grandma Penni came out for a visit to see the girls before they left.

All lined up in front of the legislature. This is the big pool where you can swim instead of just wading. It comes up to just past my knees but for the kids it is perfect for swimming in.

This is the beautiful fountain.

We had so much fun but there were some very tired little ones when we got home. KL even fell asleep while she was eating dinner. It was so cute.

KR was still full of it. LOL Such cute faces it is hard to believe that they will not be with us for much longer. I try not to think about. :(