The Garden

Here are just a couple of pictures of the back garden, I haven't taken any of the front yet.

More Soccer

Miss Morgan is number 4 which is kind of funny: the girls numbers are each others ages! Morgan is number four and Paige is number 7!

Soccer

Here are some pics of Paige at soccer:

TROUBLE X 3 !!!!!

In April, Nana, Auntie Catherine and Auntie Sarah came to Canada for a Memorial Service for Dad, and to visit with family. Here are the girls with AJ.

Ella Bella and Auntie Catherine:

Playing a game with Nana:

Auntie Sarah and Ella:

In April, Morgan recieved an award at school for Honesty and Integrity! She also recieved another reward this month for Empathy; but I didn't get a picture from that day as I forgot my camera. :(
There was an assembly when the awards were presented, and the parents of children recieving an award were invited. I was very proud!

In keeping with a tradition that is ages old, Easter Egg colouring was done with Daddy. The colours were fabulous this year.





Here are my three basket heads!

In March we went to a Maple Syrup festival in a local provincial park! It was a beautiful day and a great time was had by all!

Miss Ella's 2nd Birthday

Better late than never! Here is Miss Ella's Dora cake!




Ella with Minnie and Mickey that Grandma gave her!



Blowing out the candles!

Hard to believe that she is already two! The time is passing so very quickly!

Still no camera cord!
But, I just had to share this. I've been having a very frustrating week with Morgan; you know; one of those where she isn't listening, being rude, and it seems as if all I am doing is yelling at her to no avail, ready to pull my hair out. Well this afternoon there was no school for Morgan and Maddison, so I put Ella and Paige in the tub this afternoon because Morgan has a soccer game this evening and there is no way that it would get done later. Well, as I was getting Ella dried off, the phone went and rather than running for it I let the machine pick it up. The message was from Morgan's teacher saying that Morgan is being recognized at the Smile Assembly tomorrow. When I asked the girls what the Character Build for this month was they told me it was for Empathy. This is Morgan's second award this year. Her first one was for Honesty and Integrity.

For all of my yelling and feeling as if I am not getting through, something must be seeping through to them after all!!!!!
xxoo

I can't find the cord that links my camera to the computer. Now that I am using a desktop again, I can't just stick in the memory card to get my pictures off of the camera!
We had a good long weekend, although it was really chilly. This is the first year that I haven't planted my flowers on the May long weekend! Saturday morning was filled with gymnastics. Then in the afternoon and evening we had our annual street party. This was the first year that Ella watched the fireworks. Last year she fell asleep and was tucked snuggly in her crib. This year she was wide awake for them, and loved them! We had Maddison and family with us, and celebrated Grandma's birthday as well. Paige had her best friend here as well and they had their first sleep-over which went off without a hitch. I think that was partly due to the fact that they went to bed really late! Sunday was filled with errands, and Monday was spent with Mama Bear doing laundry and sorting clothes, and closets, and Papa Bear doing a project with Morgan.

Paige has her first soccer game tonight, and Morgan has her first practice tonight and first game tomorrow night. They are on separate fields though which has caused some anxiety because K is out of town this week. Luckily Ashty is coming to my rescue!

I'm off to look for that camera cord....
xoxox

Wow! I think that this is the longest that I have ever gone without an entry. I have pictures to put up, going all the way back to February from Ella's second birthday. I had my laptop blow-up and was without a computer for about a six week span. Hard to believe that I didn't implode from lack of computer time - but here I am still here. I had K's laptop at night. We are back to a desktop in the kitchen. Most members of the family are very pleased about this. The laptop was a bit tricky for the kids.
Over the last little while things have been very emotional for me. There was a lot of emotion leading up to Dad's memorial service in April, and we had the first anniversary of Lynn's passing. I am emotionally exhausted from the last year and just haven't been inspired to blog. It is time to start healing though.
I promise however in the next little while to get those pictures up. That is if anyone is even still out there to see them, considering that I haven't posted in months! ;)
XOXOXOXOX to all.

Gymnastics

Here is Morgan at gymnastics last Saturday. Paige was home sick, but I'll try to get some of her this week.
Pretty quiet week here so far. More snow=more shoveling.....kids are feeling better, but Mama bear is kind of cranky today ;(
Still haven't heard anything from the insurance, so I have no idea what is happening with the van.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain

I don't know who to give credit to for this quote, but I read it today at the footer of an email; and thought how appropriate it seems!
We had a pretty good weekend here. Paige stayed home from gymnastics because she still wasn't feeling up to snuff. Morgan had a great session though. I took some video, which I will post later in the week. Poor Paigie went to bed saying that her ear was hurting so we will see what the morning brings. I hope that she is okay - she missed three days of school last week. I'm also waiting to see what happens with the other two - Ella hardly ate anything today, and Morgan says her throat is hurting......
I'm off to read a book with one very snuggly kitty before I head off to bed. It is freezing cold here, which always makes kitties very snuggly ;)
xxxxxx

Here is Little Miss Ella helping me to blog! Paige is home from school as well. She has had a nasty cough, and a fever on and off - so she has been home since Wednesday. Unfortunately it is viral so there is nothing to do but rest and have lots of stories and snuggles!
It has been a busy month around here. I know, I know, when isn't it busy around here? We had Auntie Catherine here until mid-January which was great! The adult company during the day was lovely.
On a sad note, a few weeks ago we had to put our beautiful white kitty to sleep. She was very young, and had only been with us for a year. Sadly she had lower urinary tract disease, and we couldn't get a handle on it.
That same weekend, I was driving Paige home from gymnastics, and was hit by another driver who went through their stop-sign (I had the right of way). Nobody was hurt thankfully. However we are now doing battle with the insurance company. They want to declare the van a total loss. The van is new to us (I only got it right before Christmas!), but it is 10 years old. However it is in mint condition. What little rust it had, we had repaired before we brought it home, and it had really low kms (145 000 km on a ten yr old car), had one other owner who worked for the place we bought it from so they know the entire history of the van. Also it is fully-loaded - all it doesn't have is leather seats. The body shop that it was taken to has told Kev to fight the insurance company because for what they will offer us for it, we won't be able to replace it. So I think we are in for a fight!
Also in the last little while, Miss Morgan has completely taken off with her reading. She is now reading chapter books silently, and just devouring them! I am so pleased that she has found a love of reading. Must be in the genes!! ;) Paige is also excelling, and is starting to read to me at home. They haven't started the home-reading program at school yet, so this is something that we are doing together on our own, and she is loving it and doing REALLY well! They brought home their "popcorn" words which are the kindergarten sight words a couple of weeks ago, and she is ready to be tested on them. She knows them all; and following in her big sisters steps, Ella can almost sing the song. (Paige learned the song by heart when Morgan was in JK - she was younger than Ella - and sang them for the teacher, who still talks about it to this day!).
Well that about it for now, I must go and to attend to a very demanding, almost two year old!
Love to all!
XOXOXOXOXOXO

Of big girl beds, snowmen, and princess dogs!

Ella is out of her crib, and inton her big-girl bed. You can't see it very well in the picture, but her bed has Dora on it, and she LOVES it! This was taken her first night sleeping in it!


Last week the kids had a snow-day, and they played outside ALL day! Here is the snowman that they built.


The girls went to a birthday party last weekend, and when we came home I couldn't resist putting the hat on the dog....poor thing - she is rather tolerant!

Honey learns to play.

Over the course of the holidays, the kids spent a lot of time outside. One afternoon Honey went out with them and for the first time since we've had her, she played with them! They all had a great time!




They played for almost an hour, but I only got that few seconds on camera because my memory card was already full from Christmas pictures. It is true what they say though; there is nothing better than tired kids and dogs!

Happy New Year!

Here is to 2008 being a Happy and healthy year for all of our family and friends. 2007 was a very trying year, and the New Year always brings with it a sense of a fresh start. The people closest to me had great losses in 2007, and I hope that as we move into 2008, we can continue to heal.
2007 wasn't all bad though. Ella learned to walk, and talk. Paige started school and found a best friend. Morgan learned to ride a two-wheeler, started piano lessons, and Brownies as well as losing her first tooth! Quite big accomplishments all round!
Our love to you all!
xoxoxoxxo

Even more pics:

Morgan and Dad reading the manual to the digital camera that Santa brought her.

Miss Paige entertaining Mark.

Me cooking the bird.....

and Auntie Catherine and Ella playing with hair stuff!

Christmas continued:

Grandma with Morgan, Paige, and Ella on Christmas Eve before church.

Paigie with her baby "Elizabeth" which Santa brought.

Ella with her baby that Santa brought.

Dad with his new slippers and gloves from the girls.