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.

Vancouver Cruise May 2013

Vancouver Cruise May 2013, a set on Flickr.


Just got back yesterday morning from my first cruise. It was a girls trip with my Aunty Janet and Grandma Evelyn. We started in Vancouver, sailed to Port Alberni (where I was born), to Seattle and then back to Vancouver.
With 3 Nights away this Mommy had some time to relax. I missed Jonathan and the kids but it was nice to come home and feel that much more in-love. While I was away Rebekah got 3 teeth! Samara is talking even more and Angeline and David seem that much more grown up too. It's funny what can happen in just 3 nights.
Some highlights for me were the 2 dinners we ate in the dinning room, hot tub and pool and even sun tanning on the deck and the two singing and dancing shows (missed the magic show because the boat was really rocking and I had to go lay down).
The cruise was not without its share of hiccups so while I enjoyed my time of relaxation and the company I would not recommend Holland America or cruise with them ever again. We were turned away from the dinning room the first night because they couldn't accommodate us (empty tables but not enough staff). The food on the Liddo Deck was nothing to get excited about, there were quite a few mix ups and they frequently ran out of cutlery! The show ended at 9pm but there was no snack until 10:30pm... when they served us hamburgers. We took them back to our room only to find out after first bite that they were cold and red on the inside. (Just to name a few). The icing on the cake was the power outage while we were docked in Seattle. It went out around 3:30pm and was out for about an hour (during that time we could not flush the toilets) they transferred back to land power and we were not able to sail at the scheduled time of 5pm. We didn't sail until 11pm so thankfully Vancouver is not very far from Seattle. It was a worry trying to sleep when we didn't know where we would wake up in the morning.
Things went well at home while I was away and the kids were all happy to see me when I got back (Jonathan too)! Rebekah was happy to be nursing again. David said he liked all his presents but the best present was having mommy home (so sweet)!