Tad Lake July-August 2013

It has been almost 2 weeks since we retuned from a wonderful week at Tad Lake. I have a whole album worth of favourite memories that I could post so it was hard to narrow it down to a select few. The first is one of my absolute favourites... David catching his first frog. To me this is a classic boy milestone which both warms and tears at a mothers heart. My son is growing up so fast. Also love the picture of him with Daddy when they've just got back from "playing" in the mud. He was so proud of how dirty he managed to get.
Angeline loved spending time with cousin Freya and we've collected lots of cute photos of them together. By the end of the trip she was also driving the kids car on her own.
Samara enjoyed spending time in the play house, going for walks and riding her run-bike. She isn't as fond of large groups as the older two but she soaked up lots of one on one.
Rebekah really enjoyed all the time outside, and many naps in the comfort of grandparents arms. She spent lost of time practicing walking and enjoyed all the praise she received.
We all enjoy the quality individual and group time spent with family.

Together at Tad Lake

On Saturday we returned from a week at Tad Lake. We all had so much fun and it was great to have a chance to spend time with family including Jonathan's sister Lauren, her husband Brent and their daughter Freya who are visiting from England. I have LOTS of great pictures and fond memories some of which I hope to share but for now I thought I would just post a few family pictures. Hope you also enjoy the Cake Smash pictures of Rebekah in my previous post. It was special to celebrate her first birthday while we were at the cabin.

Cake Smash!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy First Birthday to our littlest LOVE! These pics are from a celebration a few weeks ago with her Birthday Twin... more Birthday pics to come soon.

Nothing New for 1 Year...

I first read about not buying anything new for a whole year in my "Today's Parent" magazine.... months ago. I must say it tugged at my heart as something I wanted to do with my family and when I talked to Jonathan about it he was very enthusiastic to say YES (I think he saw instant dollar signs on the backs of his eye lids) $$. I want to start in January 1, 2014 and finish December 31, 2014. I know, I could really start now but the New Year always feels like a new start for me so that is what I am planning to do. Another reason I don't want to start just yet is that I don't want to do it alone. I would like to see 10 people commit to doing it too. I HAVE mentioned this idea to a few of my friends, none of whom seemed very enthusiastic but I would like YOU to think about it and get back to me.
Here is the article I read a few months ago that got this idea started:
Click HERE to read the article
This is certainly not a new idea... when I was searching online to find the article there were lots more that came up.
I will be Blogging along in my journey and you can find my posts under the label "Nothing New"

11 months

Rebekah is almost half way through her 11th month and it is hard to keep track of everything new. For starters she is eating more both in quantity and variety. Some new things she has tried recently include mushrooms, zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon, chicken nuggets, ribs, cows milk and even greek orzo salad. She likes almost everything she tries but doesn't seem to be a big fan of raspberries (yet).
She has taken her first steps but is not walking (if that makes any sense). She will take a few steps when coaxed (sometimes) but continues to be cautious. She recently learned how to go down stairs and simultaneously discovered the process for "getting down"on her own from pretty much anything she isn't strapped into. She loves climbing on and off her mattress, Samara's toddler bed, the fireplace ledge and our kids picnic table. She amuses herself by standing on soft surfaces (couches or beds) and throwing herself down on her bum. This sends her into a giggle fit after about 3 rounds which always results in the hiccups. Another favourite game is "ball." We will say "pass to David"... "pass to Mommy" etc and she is very accurate! She loves all the big girl things she can do and the proud grin she gets is adorable. She has 3 words so far... "Mom", "Dadda" and "Nana." We will have more of an update when she has her immunization appointment in August but she weighs about 21 pounds and seems to be doing well.
Who ever decided to refer to babies as "bundles of joy" really nailed it. She is JOY wrapped up an a cute little package. She makes all of us smile. We love her so much!

*In the second picture there is a striking resemblance to my sister Mandy when she was a baby.

Splash Down!

Click HERE to see today's Splash Down photo's on my Flickr







Today we had the opportunity to go to the Splash Down Water Slides for Jonathan's work picnic. It sprinkled most of the day but we were wet anyway so we still managed to have a lot of fun. We had to insist it was time to get dried off and dressed, Angeline especially did not want to leave despite the fact that she was shivering and turning blue! I've posted 12 pictures on Flikr if you would like to see more.

Best Dad Award!

On Fathers Day I just have to say what a wonderful Dad my husband is! He works hard to provide for his family and to keep things running smoothly at home and he makes quality time with his kids. He supports me and helps me to be a better Mom. Yes, life is busy with 4 little ones but we are really starting to get a knack for it. I love you Jonathan! Happy Fathers Day! Thank you for everything you do!
We were able to spend today with Jonathan's Dad and Grandpa's who I am also very thankful for and in a few weeks we will be visiting my Dad, Grandpa, Papa... I must say that when it come to family we are very blessed. Thank you Dads for the love you give us and the examples you are to us everyday.

David has so much to celebrate!

Today we got together with family and celebrated David's 7th Birthday. He got an award at Sunday School for memorizing all his memory verses this year. He has one more week of his fist soccer season and he had a fun day at Sports Day with the Delta Home Learners. Now that we have finished up grade 1 he spends a lot of time playing lego, super hero's, on the backyard playground and with his nose in a book. His new favourites are Geronimo Stilton and Captain Underpants. We are really proud of David and we love him very much!

Samara is 2 1/2 !

Samara is now 2 1/2 and she is definitely "going on 3!" I find they change so much from 2-3. At 2 she was still very much my baby... now she is definitely headed towards big girl. In the last 6 months she has added lots of words to her vocabulary and now uses English more often then her baby talk. She has gotten taller and is starting to outgrow some of her size 2 pants. She has an itty bitty waist and only outweighs her baby sister by 3-4 lbs. She loves one on one time so I take her to run errands with me when I can. We are working on her bedtime and it is getting a bit easier and I am hoping to work some more on potty training this week. She love playing dolls with her sisters. She is our Sweet Samara!

I thought I would share a cute story from a few weeks ago as well. I was getting her bath ready so I had her sitting on the toilette. She told me she was "all done" so I told her that I wanted to hear a tinkle tinkle before she got into the bath. She started singing "twinkle, twinkle little star".... just one of those cute moments that make my heart smile. I love my Samara.

David's 7th Birthday - Super Hero

David's 7th Birthday - Super Hero, a set on Flickr.

David and his friends had a Super time being Super Hero's for his 7th Birthday. Every year I let the kids pick the theme for their parties and this year Super Hero's was it! The capes were a big hit and I was very thankful to have help with them (yay for Oma's, Nana's & Aunties)! Big thanks to David's Super Hero friends who helped make it a Super Fun day!

Rob's Ride for Hope

Click HERE to make a donation to Canuck Place (by Sponsoring Rob in the Ride for Hope)

July 10th Rob will be participating again in the Ride for Hope. Since we lost Noah Rob has helped fundraise thousands of dollars for Canuck Place and we know many of our friends and family have contributed. The above link will take you to Rob's fundraising page.

Our journey with Canuck Place began during our pregnancy with Noah when he was diagnosed with Trisomy 13 and many of you know how Canuck Place supported us through Noah's life and death as well as in the months that followed when we were overwhelmed in grief.

I wanted to share with you the link to Rob's fundraising page as well as a bit about how Canuck Place continues to play an important role in our lives today. February 8th we sang "Happy Birthday" in memory of our son Noah who would have been celebrating his 5th Birthday this year. Canuck Place sent a card remembering his special day. Every year on March 6th we say good bye all over again and it is the saddest day of the year for us, one that I can't even type without shedding tears. Every year Canuck place sends a card reminding us that we are not alone in our sadness. Throughout the year we receive e-mails and invites to Winter and Summer Parties where we can connect with the staff and other families who have journeyed with us. We have opportunities to win tickets to hockey games, weekend get aways and other opportunities to spend time reflecting, relaxing or just having fun.

I am forever grateful for the role Canuck Place plays in our yesterdays, todays and tomorrows. I hope you will consider giving to this very worthy cause. Thank You.


(Yesterdays picture of the First Rose of the year from the rose bush we planted in Remembrance of Noah)

10 months

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It has been a month and a half since I last updated about Rebekah and what a month and a half it has been! When I updated at 8 1/2 months she had 1 tooth and now she has 4 and is working on more. While I was away for 3 nights that is when her 3 newest teeth came in... I couldn't have timed it better (or worse) depending on how you look at it.
At 10 months old Rebekah is a very busy baby. She waves when she wants to have a sleep or change her present situation (when she is done eating and wants out of her high chair she waves bye-bye). She pushes toys across the floor and walks behind them and she likes to hold hands and practice walking. She goes up stairs but not down.
She doesn't talk but she likes to shake her head "no" and we think it is really cute. She loves swinging in her baby swing on the new swing set Daddy built. She is starting to transition from Baby to Toddler and we are trying to soak up all the Baby time we can get.