Pictures of Christmas...

Our Christmas tree, which the kids helped me decorate, "fancy" hot chocolate on Christmas eve and visiting with family (Enoch holding his 2 month old cousin).

We had a good Christmas. Not too crazy busy, but enough to keep us out of the house. We spent Christmas Eve at home this year and it was really nice to open presents with just our family. I could keep track of what everyone got, the kids were happy to take turns opening presents and I managed to stretch it out for about an hour. Then the kids happily played, I cleaned and Clark took a nap. We got to my parent's house at around 11:30ish and spent the rest of the day visiting and playing video games. We even spent the night so that I could go Boxing Day shopping in Airdrie.

New Years Eve was spent at our house. I was happy to discover that while there were a lot of people crammed into my little house, it didn't feel like we were sitting on each other. Hooray for the basement being done! (Pictures coming on that one...)

All in all, a nice break. I'm happy for the schedules again, just not as happy to have them so tight. Next adventure: Disneyland!

Welcome to 2010. Or as Caleb put it, "Hey, 2010 looks like 20 and 10!

A Year in Review

One of these years, I will actually get myself organized enough to send out a Christmas Card. Since that is not this year, I'm cheating and doing it on here!
We have had the usual busy year!
Clark was no where near as busy this year as last year... until August. Then he took 2 trips to England within a month of each other. Now, it's just a lot of work at the office, sometimes too much in my humble opinion. He has also just been called as the new Ward Clerk. (I almost typed Clark... hehehe) So now, he's going to be extra busy. That's okay, as long as we have the odd Saturday as a family, we'll all survive. :)
I was also able to meet Clark in England, both times. The second time, I was even able to have my parents come with me. England was number one on my list of places to go, so I was very excited to go not only once, but twice! I couldn't have done that without great family and friends to watch my kids, mostly last minute! Thank you to everyone again and again. I like to say that Clark worked in England, but I got to see it.
We have also been working on the basement, which seems to be almost (knock on wood) done! It'll be nice to have that extra little bit of space. And maybe clean bedrooms when I move the toys downstairs!
This year was good for trips and vacations. We were able to go to Walt Disney World with Clark's parents and had a blast! And the kids did so well. From the terrible blizzard that dumped the night before we left, the full days, we were very surprised that everyone had fun and didn't melt down until the day before we left! We also spent time in Montana, and decided that Clark needs a hobby to entertain himself while he's down there. We're still on the hunt. Clark and I have also recently got our Ham radio licences. We're that cool.
Caleb finished Kindergarten with flying colors. He really loved his teacher (and so did I.) He did soccer again and is currently in Basketball and guitar lessons. It's been interesting as I am learning a bit too. Now if we could only figure out a better practising schedule! Caleb's thing right now is to try and tell me how hard his life is.
Aiden tried out soccer, and we're hoping this next season will work better for him. He was happy to go... and not play. He's in the Bee Happy Preschool and not only is learning lots, but has made a really good friend there. It's nice to see Aiden growing up as such a good friend and brother. Aiden, the dino man, can definitely tell you which dinosaurs are who.
Kyrie was our little dare-devil this summer. She loved taking tube rides and we all quickly learned that she was so comfortable, she didn't feel the need to hold on. So, a big person had to be in the middle, holding her tight. She has also made some good friends with a couple of cousins, who she still talks about on a daily basis. Her latest thing is to tell me that she doesn't get to do anything that she wants. I agree.
Enoch is getting big and hilarious. He loves the Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody, dinosaurs and Caleb, Aiden and Kyrie. (As long as they give him some space.) He's my best go-to-bed kid. He will even throw himself into bed or try to climb in it if he's decided that he's tired. With only 2 more months until nursery, he's making it hard not to wish that time by. He loves to climb, run and give hugs.
Well, that's our crew. Hope that this Christmas and New Year find you all healthy and happy. It's been great to see our family grow, and to see the happenings in our friend's lives. Congrats, good luck and above all,
Merry Christmas to One and All!

From Our Clan to Yours....

Ebenezer and Friends...

Tonight at 7:45pm and tomorrow night at 7:00pm, our ward is putting on a musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol. It's only 45 minutes long and kid-friendly. If you are looking for something fun to do tonight, head on over to the Cranston Chapel... or call/email me to get directions. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Merry Christmas

My Life Could Be Like...

... A Sitcom! Here's why:
1) I can solve any problem in under 1/2 an hour... that's as long as my attention span (squirrel!) is anyways.
2) 4 kids in 5 years, those kids say the darndest things!
3) I've become good at being the parental figure that is absent until the very crucial moment (aka I caught you dumping pepperoni and strawberry syrup in a cup, topped with mustard.)
4) We're trying to live in a house that's a touch too small for us, CRAZY things could happen, just to remind us why we love this house. (Or love to destroy it.)
5) I've got a variety of kids: the oldest, the middle, the youngest, the girly girl... who said that couldn't be funny?
6) I've got a stern looking hubby with a hilarious (sometimes very scary to others) side.
7) I'm a stay-at-home-mom with some Nurse's training... slap stick anyone? (NOT WITH A REAL STICK BOYS!!)

... a Drama. Here's why:
1) With the aid of Ritalin, I can upgrade to under 60 minutes for my attention (Squirrel) span.
2) There's lots of tension in our house. Especially between the hours of 4pm and 6pm. (24, you have NOTHING on the tension around suppertime around here!)
3) There are extreme moments where I think someone may have finally broken a leg or killed their sibling. (Well, maimed is more like it.)
4) Same stuff, different day. I can show re-runs too, you know.
5) Driving down the Deerfoot sometimes reminds me of a car chase that I saw on NCIS.
6) I too can finally figure out the problem at the last second. (Even if that problem is where the heck did I leave the keys to the van so I can pick up kids from school.)
7) I too suffer from technological breakdowns that I can't fix in time to view that important email telling me something that I've shipped from the States may or may not finally have gotten past the boarder and may be at my house in time for me to use it for the sole reason I bought it in the first place. (Gasp, gasp, gasp.)

... a Soap Opera. Here's why:
1) Overreaction? We NEVER overreact. WHO told you we overreact? WHO? I'll get them.
2) Soaps make clutter look sexy. I make it look like clutter.
3) My hubby would like to see me... without the kids (what were you thinking?) more often.
4) We have slapping, hitting, biting and poor choices made on a daily basis. The consequence of which are dire - for my sanity.
5) I love my husband, but I have a deep, dark secret. There are other men that I love. (They mostly exist in cheesy romance novels.)
6) I have a love affair going on -- with chocolate.
7) Sometimes I run away from my problems too. Or just leave the kids with the hubby and do something for me once and while.

... a Reality Show. Here's why:
1) The sneakiest contest is my second oldest who can silently torture or sneak food.
2) My Drama queen is around to let me know the latest injustice done to her and why it wasn't her fault.
3) The prize at the end (of the day) is silence, and baby, is it GOLDEN.
4) Lots of people tune in every day to see what is going to happen next. (Yeah I saw you staring at me struggling with my 4 kids at Wal-Mart.)
5) The only one that tends to get voted off the island is me. (And sometimes I run off.)
6) According to my children, I starve them.
7) The stunts performed by my children are without the supervision of a trained professional and therefore should not be attempted at home. (Or at least within the earshot of Mom.)

Introducing...

a new blog! You have to go and check out my friend Val's food storage blog. This lady knows what she's talking about. And if she doesn't have an answer... she'll find it for you. I love the passion and enthusiasm that she has for this subject. It really shows when she talks about preparedness and everything that has to go with it. While I am on the fringe compared to her, I am both humbled and excited to follow what she's searched out that can make it easier for me to find things to help out my family! So please, check it out. This is for everyone! This month's goal: Water. Storage, purification, etc... Check it out.

http://preparednesscorner.blogspot.com

The Best Way to Watch a Hitman Game....

What's the best way to watch a Hitman Game? In the box with a couple of friends of course. Two weeks ago we invited some friends to enjoy food (way too much as always) and a little hockey. It's always fun to have someone there for each of my kids to do something with. Thanks to the families that came for such a great time. Hopefully we can do that again sometime soon.

Halloween Traditions...

Every year my mom puts on a Halloween Dinner. There's a menu with everything called something halloween-y. The point of the dinner is to try and figure out what each thing is. Years ago, I decided instead of trying to dress everyone up and worry about getting the costumes dirty before halloween, we'd get Halloween shirts. So that's what these are. I found everyone excepts Enoch's shirt at Wal-Mart in the States for $5 each!

Here's all my kids and some friends in their costumes, just before we head out trick or treating. We wandered around the estate homes so we cleaned up in about 1 1/2 hours. The last picture is the loot we got. The one on the left is chips and the one on the right is just candy. You know the kids have had enough when they start asking to skip houses to go home! Our saving grace was that we brought the wagon and the large stroller. There was somewhere for kids to pile into when they were tired of walking and somewhere for the candy.
Caleb even helped out a friend who was sick with H1N1 and took a bucket around for her. It was fun to hear people comment on the two buckets he had. A lot of comments were: "Double bagging it, eh?" "Two buckets?" Then he would explain that he was collecting candy for a friend that was sick. All of a sudden, they would reach back into their bowls, buckets, etc and say "Here's some extra, hope she feels better." It was a good experience for Caleb, who is totally willing to help out anyone just naturally. I think he helped people feel the "Halloween Spirit." :)

We all survived and I'm now counting down to when I get to get rid of the candy. (Sad, I know.) We have already had junk for breakfast 2 days in a row. My fault for not getting up on time, I guess. Happy Halloween!