Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours.  May you ponder the true meaning of Christmas this year and live all year with the knowledge that Christ came to forgive our sins.  There is no greater gift than that!

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Until next time...

All Grown Up!

So, as we spend our first day of Christmas vacation just hanging around at home, I thought I'd finally post those photos of Alexander's 9 year photo shoot that I had promised.  Since it was such a nice fall/early winter, I was hoping for a nice day so that we could do some of them outside.  It was not to be.  This was one of the few bits of cold weather we've had.  However, I did discover that the winter sun shines nicely into our master bedroom and I really think that these worked out great there.  The wall colour even accented his shirt nicely!  Anyway, here they are...

I think this is my favourite one...

And, of course, he wanted one by the Christmas tree (the lighting wasn't as good there!)

Until next time...

My Dashing Boy

So, as is my tradition with my boys, it was time for Evan's birthday photos.  I'm still trying to figure out the best way and place to do these and so we did a little more experimenting.  It was a beautiful day so we just went out in the yard.  Evan is just so photogenic that I can't help but get good photos.  He does have a little trouble with squinting when it's so bright out but these really turned out wonderfully.  Here are my faves.

Stay tuned for a post of Alexander's.  They are done and waiting their turn, too!

Until next time...

Big Boy!

This was the other big change in our house this fall...Bradley is becoming such a big boy!  He was so interested in sleeping in Jonathan's bed, that we decided we should probably get him one.  After all, this is the longest any of our kids had been in a crib.  In fact, when Grandma was here, she let him go on Jonathan's bed at nap time.  After that, he always wanted her to put him to bed so he could spend time on the bed!

We got him a double just for the extra sleeping space if we ever need it for company.  He's adjusted quite well, though he does get out of his bed more than the other kids do.  That's OK, though, he still really likes it!

Until next time...

Birthday Bash!

Finally, we got here...to my Evan's birthday.  I can't believe how much faster time seems to fly the older I get.  My second born is now 7!  He certainly had a fun time celebrating at school, with friends and with family.  It seems like just yesterday that he was a baby, sleeping in his car seat.  Now, he's growing up.  He is a very creative boy and loves school.  He has a zest for life that makes our lives interesting, too.  We love him so very much.

This is his actual birthday with the cupcakes we sent to school.

Here was his friends' party.  They decorated their own cupcakes and were generally just a large group of young boys so it was a bit crazy at times!

This was definitely the hit, though.  We found shrinky dinks and the kids got to make them.  Watching them shrink in the oven is ALWAYS the best part!  If you notice the tiny space between my oven and the cupboard, that's because the delivery guys were there bringing our giant fridge in at the same time!

Then, we celebrated with family.  Grandma & Grandpa Stein even managed to come down.  This was Evan's request for a cake.  It was all about the six candles around the side and a 7 in the middle.  It's nice when they want simple things at times!

There you have it.  Now, seven years old and we're sure looking forward to the years to come.

Until next time...

Fall Fun!

So, while I wished for summer not to end, fall did eventually arrive.  On the bright side, the weather was very summer-like for a good part of the fall.

The biggest excitement (?) of the fall is school starting.  Half of my kids are gone everyday and this was their first day...

Fall also brings football in our house...CFL, NFL and touch!  I didn't get out to many games this year because the scheduling didn't work well for having the little one out at the games.  We did all attend the wind up, though.  How fun that they get to play at Mosaic Stadium.  This is one of the coolest things the kids get to do.

It was FREEZING that day.  We weren't quite dressed for it, even.  I think this photo of Bradley is adorable but it was before he melted down.  The only time he would quit crying was when we actually walked out of the stadium.  Eventually, he and I went out and sat in the van with the heat cranked.

Field trips are always great fun, too.  I love to go with the kids whenever I can.  It must have been 30 degrees the day we went to Pumpkin Hollow and we were the only ones there so it was just a fabulous day for the kids.  I don't have many pics because most of them have classmates in them so here is one of Evan at Pumpkin Hollow.

Then I went out to Flying Creek with Alexander's class for their outdoor ed trip.  Those are always a lot of fun, even if there are no bathrooms!  The valley really is beautiful.

The other wonderful thing about fall is produce from the garden!  Truthfully, my garden needed another month because the spring was just too wet and cool.  These veggies were better because I left them in the ground, even after it froze.  They did taste yummy and the harvest wasn't too bad.

Fall can be such a lovely time of year and it really was this year.  The snow even held off a bit.  Now, we're back into busy schedule and things are crazy as they always are this time of year but this is our life!

Until next time...

Major Milestones

Hey, here's another scheduled post!  (Can you see a theme...the titles are alliterative...unless you're particular and then you might argue that you need three words to be alliterative but we're not going to worry about that :) ).

When we last left my summer, I did leave out one major thing.  A certain person in this house reached a certain milestone.  We may not say what it was but suffice it say that it begins with a 4 and ends with an 0.  I remember when that used to seem SO old but I guess things change.  Anyways, we celebrated in quantity this year.

The first party was on Jason's actual birthday.  Here he is on his big birthday with his four boys.  Neither picture is perfect, but if you combine them in your head ('cause I was too lazy to do it in Photoshop) they come close!

Oh, wait, he has a wife, too.  Here we are, ready for a night on the town (with his family).

We ate at a wonderfully delicious Italian eatery in town.  This was Jason's big birthday dinner.

And here was mine.  I just can't pass up rack of lamb when I get an excuse to eat it.  So yummy!

Then it was back home to have "cake" with the kids.  Technically there is cake in a trifle so it's all good.

Then came party #2.  What 40 year old doesn't need a night of playing *cough* dolls...I mean Warhammer.  Several friends came over to play and observe.

We even had some cake...this writing is in tribute to dear Miriam (see her cake in the previous post).

Finally, there was party #3 the next weekend.  A night of games with the gang.  But no cake...just chips.  The celebrations really go downhill after #2.

So, as you can see, 40-year-olds aren't tired because they're old...it's because they won't stop partying!  Anyway, I bug him a lot about his age but that's just because I'm younger than him :).  Truth is, I don't care about age but I do care that I am so blessed as to get to share my life with this man - and not just on his birthday!

Until next time...

Deep Denial...

It's true.  I'm so totally in denial.  I'm not ready for winter.  I know, I know, it's November and we only just got snow that stuck to the ground.  That's awesome.  It's supposed to be really cold this week, though, and it's been such a gorgeous fall that I'm just not ready.  So, I'm going to live in the summer a bit longer and share some fun photos from the rest of our hang out at home summer.  I hope you enjoy living in the warmth with me for just a bit longer!

My hard work for the summer...a finished blanket.  I really love the fact that it's finished!  We put it to good use all summer and fall, too.

My sweet little garden.  It even survived the massive rains at the beginning of the year and some things grew pretty well.

The boys wanted to go to a park so I thought we'd try this new one I'd heard of.  It is dinosaur themed and fantastic for little boys who like to climb (even this little daredevil!)

Careful...that dinosaur might just have you for lunch!

Aw, that baby dinosaur looks a lot like my Evan :)

Bigger challenges existed for the bigger kids, too.  So fun.

Then it rained.  Again.  But really, it rained so hard that the water actually shot UP out of the down spout.  Crazy rain.

Then there was the LEGO show at the Western Development Museum in Moose Jaw.  It's always a hit.  Can you tell how much Jonathan liked this train?

The Snowbird area was a favourite with Alexander.

Finally.  My husband gets to go sometimes but I rarely get to go to a Rider game.  I even won these tickets (end zone but not as bad as I thought and we won the game so it was all good!)

Tell me this isn't the cutest photo of a dirty little boy that you ever did see.  My garage has great summer lighting.

A new experience...movie in the park.  We took the kids to see Despicable Me 2 (and later the LEGO Movie) in the park.  It was such a fun time and totally free :)

There were even crafts.  Isn't that a cute little minion?

And rarely is a summer of ours complete without swimming lessons and some out of town relatives.

Getting in with the life jacket.

Deep water - treading water.

I never thought, a year ago, that this boy would be willingly floating UNDER water!

I was there, too!  Just hangin' out.

Then it was time for a birthday!

And more play time at the park...this kid is a goof.

After swimming lessons, it was VBS.  Always a crazy but fun week!  It was secret agent week and these guys had their suave outfits and disguises down perfectly!

So that was the majority of the summer.  The photos make me feel so much warmer (or it may be that I'm in the warmest room in our house - the basement but you can make of that what you will!)

Until next time...