Haloween Fun

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Here are some pictures of the kids on Halloween. I didn't get a lot of Ben as he didn't wear his costume very long and I missed taking a picture of Cecil in his Joker costume (from Batman). He got right into the role as the Joker and it was funny because he scared more of the adults than he did the kids. We had a good time that night!! Emma wore a Hannah Montana costume to her school party because I ordered the cat costume from the States in September and it arrived 3:00pm on Halloween day so at least she got to wear it for Trick or Treating:)

The Roulette's

Make a Smilebox slideshow In July Cecil's family decided to have family pictures done. We haven't had a family picture done since we got married 6 years ago and wow has the family grown! With twelve grandchildren it makes it hard for all of us to get together but when we do we always have a fun time. It is too bad Cecil's dad is not here to share these special times with us but we feel him looking down on us. Here are just a few of the many pictures Sabine took for us. Thank you Sabine for making the day so much fun!!

Footprints in the Sand

On Monday afternoon my good friend lost her husband to cancer. They have 2 beautiful girls Jordyn who is 5 and Kaylee who is 3. I can't stop thinking about them and wonder what I can do to make things better for them but what can you do? He was so young and it seems so unfair. They were a couple that Cecil and I looked up to. They had an amazing relationship, they were best friends. Cecil and I have taken his death to heart. We realize how precious our time together is and we will no longer "sweat the small stuff" in life. My friend is strong and in time with the help of her friends and family we will help her and her girls get through this. The funeral is tomorrow and I hope that she will be comforted by all the love and support surrounding her. I thought I would post my favorite poem Footprints in the Sand, it reminds me of what Trevor went through and that he was not alone:


One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.


This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Emma's First Skating Lesson

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Pumpkin Patch with the Grindey's

Make a Smilebox scrapbook Saturday was my birthday so we decided to go to the pumpkin patch with our friends the Grindey's. The patch was almost an hour away. We have never heard of it until recently and thought it would be fun to start a new tradition to go out and let the kids pick out their own pumpkins. There was so much to do there. We spent over 3 hours there and could of easily spent another hour. The most popular thing was the hale bale pyramid and maze. The kids spent most of their time on that. They had some animals (wilbur the baby pig was a hit), a zip line, corn maze, train ride, duck races, hay bale ride where we got to feed the horses, and the spook barn. The spook barn didn't go over very well. We sent all the kids in with Uncle Kevin....Ben came out wrapped around Kevin's leg and Emma was crying and Kevin was laughing. Guess we won't try that one next year! So the kids picked out their pumpkins and then we headed to Rivers for their famous chinese food. We crashed mom and dad's so we didn't have to sit in the samll restaurant with 5 kids (thanks mom and dad). We got home late but we had such a fun day and feel very lucky to have such great friends to spend it with!!

I am: alot of things....mom, wife, daughter, friend, aunt, etc.
I think: too much
I know: that I need to lose weight
I want: to travel
I have: lots of good friends and family
I dislike: rude people
I miss: being back in high school (sometimes anyway)
I fear: heights
I feel: exhausted
I hear: my kids playing
I smell: laundry soap
I crave: sweets
I cry: when I'm tired
I usually: spend too much money
I search: for cool things online
I wonder: what life will be like when the kids move out
I regret: not going to University
I love: my kids
I care: about everyone I know
I always: bake
I worry: about my friend who is going through something very difficult
I am not: motivated to exercise
I believe: in positive thinking
I sing: Hannah Montana with Emma everyday
I don't always: show Cecil how much I love him
I argue: with my kids too much
I write: hardly ever
I win: at any game that I play against Cecil
I lose: the lottery every week ( I wonder why??)
I wish: I didn't have to work
I listen: to everyone's problems
I can usually be found: in my craftroom
I am scared: that my kids will get bullied
I forget: things more often since I had kids
I am happy: when I am around my family and friends
I am.......tagging you.

What is that I hear???.....ahhh silence!!!

Make a Smilebox postcard So my baby started preschool today:( That leaves me at home with no one! All of my daycare kids are also at school too so I'm sitting here by myself. That NEVER happens! I have almost forgotten what quiet sounds like. I don't know if I like it, I'm not sure what to do with myself (hehehe). Anyway.....Ben did great, he was a bit nervous going in but fine once he got settled. He was happy his friend Avah was with him. He told us he was going to look after her (aww). I find that funny because they always fight when they are here. I can't wait to see how his morning was. I better go and find something to do....maybe I'll go shopping!!

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Today was Emma's first day of Kindergarten!!! I've been dreading this day all week. I wasn't ready to let her go but Emma's excitement got me through. She was so excited to get there and for me to leave:( and when I picked her up she wouldn't stop talking and Emma rarely says more than 2 words. She has such a great teacher and we are very lucky to have her. Emma thinks she is "beautiful" and comments on her pretty necklaces everytime she sees her. Ben missed her though.....He kept calling for her "Emma, are you hiding on me?" It was cute. As soon as the teacher opened the door Ben was the first one in to give his big sister a hug!

Emma and Ben start gymnastics tomorrow and then skating lessons the week after that. Emma has decided not to dance this year.....she went to gymnastics camp this summer and now has a new love. We'll see how it goes!!

What Camera Should I Buy???

MY DREAM CAMERA!!!


I am in search of a new camera!! Emma dropped my camera a few weeeks ago and broke it and now I am feeling lost without it. Of course it had to happen just before school starting. My camera wasn't even a year old but of course future shop won't do anything about it. So I need some suggestions from all of you Bloggers who take such wonderful pictures. What kind of camera do you use??

What Should I Wear???

Emma and I have spent the last 2 days shopping for back to school. I had sooo much fun...and Emma did too. She loves shopping just as much as me, maybe even more!! We started off in Winnipeg on Thursday and then headed across the border to the States on Friday. We went to all our favorite stores that we don't have in Brandon. She picked alot of skirts this year instead of dresses and even some pants (WOW!). Her favorite purchase however is a pair of pajamas from the Disney store that grandma bought for her and she hasn't taken off since we got home. Since she can't wear that on her first day of school we thought it would be fun to take pictures of some of her favorite outfits she got and see what everyone thinks she should wear on her first day of Kindergarten!! So let us know what you think!!

Celebrating Ben!!

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We celebrated Ben's 3rd birthday on Sunday! I can't believe he is 3 already. Where does the time go??? Is it time to have another one??? I miss having a little baby...anyway....We had both Cecil's family and my family over for the afternoon. Unfortunately my brother Darren and his family and Grandma Roulette couldn't make it but the show must go on! Ben is very lucky to have so many cousins and mostly boys at that. He had 11 cousins come and 3 of his "girl"friends who he loves (Abby, Issa, and Mary). The kids had a blast on the waterslide!! It is cheap entertainment watching them on it! Ben wanted to have a spiderman cake....again. He had a spiderman party last year too. Hopefully next year he'll move on past his obssession with this superhero!!

Ben's actual birthday was yesterday the 12th. We had a party with my daycare kids and my friend Leah and her son Ethan and her very adorable daycare girl Charlie! And then for supper we went to the McDonald's playstructure with the Grindey's for supper. This is Ben's favorite place....a playstructure and french fries all in the same place!

I've enjoyed watching Ben grow this past year! He has matured sooo much it is hard to believe he is the same kid. I seriously thought there might be something wrong with him from like age 10 months until he turned 2 (hehehe), he was crazy busy!! We love him so much, he is so much fun, everyone who meets him loves him!! We can't wait to see what this year brings!!

Clear Lake

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Last week we went to Clear Lake for a week with my family. We had so much fun! All the cousins got to play with each other and had a blast! My kids' favorite part was riding on the big boat. I was a little nervous during the ride though. Ben just wanted to run around and I thought he was going to take a header of the back of the boat. Anyway we made it out safe and sound! It was nice to spend time with my mom and dad. Cecil and I enjoyed playing cards with them and visiting. Cecil got a golf game in with Dad, he had a great time! Emma conquered the monkey bars while we were there and made it across all by herself!! She also started to go under water which we were happy to see. Ben enjoyed his bike rides and takes off at a great speed now. He would just yell at people to get out of the way as we ran after him, he's so funny! It was nice to have some time away. We look forward to this trip every summer!

Memory Game

Memory Game

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Our 6th Wedding Anniversary

Make a Smilebox slideshow This past Sunday we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Wow....time flies! We usually never do anything to exciting so this year I decided to suprise Cecil with a night a this cabin in the middle of nowhere called Nature's Hideaway. Close to Brandon though which was good. My mom was gracious enough to take the kids (thanks mom) so we were able to go. We were pleasantly suprised when we first walked in. There was music playing and everything looked so nice. We were forced to relax because there was literally nothing to do but be together and that never happens. We played crib and I was happy to beat Cecil's butt since he plays it all the time at work. We went for a walk and then headed back into the city to the Keg for supper, our favorite spot (I wasn't cooking on our anniversary hehehe). We came back to the cabin and relaxed in the tub. I have never been in a jacuzzi tub before....wow it was nice. Didn't know that bubbles and the jets don't really mix as we were barried in bubbles, literally, it was sooo funny. Anyway...it was so much fun to spend time with just Cecil. We never seem to make time for that anymore. Happy Anniversary Babe!! I Love You!!!

The Prize Winning Bike!!

We went out to Rivers on the weekend to their summer fair. Emma decorated her bike and entered it in the bike decorating contest and got to ride it in the parade. She was looking forward to it all week. She won first prize!! She was pretty proud of herself for winning and even more excited about getting "paper money" as the prize. She had to ride her bike a long way but made out ok. Her training wheels were up to high so she kept falling over but by the end she got the hang of it. Way to go Emma!!

Celebration Weekend

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Make a Smilebox scrapbook

So we had another busy weekend but at least it was tones of fun!! We celebrated my mom's 60th birthday, Peyton's 6th birthday, and Jase's 3rd birthday!! I can't believe mom is 60 already. She looks so good and still parties like she is 20 (hehehe). I feel very blessed to have her in my life and my kids' life. I can't imagine life without her. Who would I talk to everyday? She talks about going down south for 3 months. I have a hard enough time when she goes away for 2 weeks. Yikes!! I'm glad she is having fun though, travelling and enjoying her retirement. That makes me happy:) Enjoy your 60's mom, so far so good!! Love You!!

The day after mom's celebration we headed over to Kent and Wendy's for the kid's party. Ben was sick so he and Cecil stayed home:( Emma and I had a good time though. I can't believe Jase is 3 already. It seems like Wendy and I were just pregnant. Jase wanted dirt cake for his birthday, so you will notice the kids enjoying the worms! Peyton will be starting grade 1 this fall...wow! Where does time fly??? I wish we could see more of him!

A Bummer Father's Day

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Father's Day was this past Sunday, unfortunately I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed. I felt bad because I kind of ruined Cecil's day. As a tradition we always go out to Neepawa and plant flowers at Cecil's Dad's grave. So we weren't able to do that this year, which I feel horrible about. Anyway....I thought I would let the Bloggers out there know about what a Great Dad Cecil is. I made this little scrapbook album for Cecil with some pictures of him and the kids. I feel very lucky to have Cecil in my life, he is my best friend, and has turned into an amazing Father. The kids adore him and have nothing to do with me as soon as he walks through the door. He spends all of his spare time with them leaving no time for himself. I am sure people think I don't let him out of the house but it is his own doing. He likes to spend time with his family and I love him for that. I hope you didn't have a horrible Father's Day, Cecil. I will make it up to you another day. We love you!!

Summer Fair

So it's been awhile since I had the time to get on here. We've either been sick or on the go with the kids. We did find some time (in between all the rain showers) to get to the Summer Fair. It comes to Brandon once a year for a few days and the kids look forward to it everytime. I knew Ben would LOVE it this year because last year he wanted to go on the rides but they wouldn't let him on because he was too small. The kids had a blast. We went with our best friends the Grindey's, which we do every year. The kids enjoy riding with their friends and not us:( Ben's favorite ride this year was the motorcycles. He has a small obsession with motorcycles. He goes crazy when he sees one on the street. He always says the same thing "Ben get a motorcycle, I go fast!" It doesn't suprise me that he wants to go fast! Hopefully he gets over it before he gets his driver's license! Emma says all the rides were her favorite but she giggled the most on the fast spinning ones...just like her mom!!

I can't believe Emma is done preschool and will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. This was Emma's picture on her very first day of school in Oct. 2006. Look how small she was. I can't believe I sent her. She was sooo excited!

It is hard to believe when I look at these pictures how much she has grown in the past couple of years. This was Emma's first day of school picture for this year. I know when she starts Kindergarten the years will probably just fly by. I hate to think about it. Emma can't wait to start school in the fall. I hope she makes lots of new friends and enjoys every minute!! Have fun baby girl!!

ABC's of ME

ABC's of me

Attached or single: Attached
Best Friend: Cecil
Cake or Pie: Cake
Day of Choice: Saturday (shop with mom day)
Essential Item: My computer
Favorite Color: Orange
Gummy Bears or Worms: Gummy Worms
Hometown: Rivers, MB
Indulgences: having a pedicure
January or July: July
Kids: Emma & Ben
Life is incomplete without: family and friends
Marriage Date: July 13, 2002
Number of Siblings: two brothers (Kent and Darren)
Oranges or Apples: Oranges
Phobias: small spaces
Quote: "If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't they never were."
Reasons to Smile: my family
Season: Summer
Tag: Leah, Kevin
Unknown fact about me: I've always wanted to be a police officer
Vegetarian or Meat Eater: Meat
Worst Habit: overeating (hehehe) and biting my nails
X-rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds
Your Favorite Food: cajun chicken alfredo
Zodiac: Libra

Mother's Day!

I have to say that this Mother's Day was one of the best one's yet. We didn't do anything exciting but it was relaxing. I am usually the one that gets up with the kids in the morning but I got to sleep in which was nice. Ben decided to get up at 6 that morning so it was even nicer that I didn't have to get up. Cecil made me breakfast in bed and then he took the kids for a walk and I got ready in slience. I almost forgot what that sounds like. The kids gave me a gift certificate to Get Nailed where I get my pampering done. Can't wait to use that!! After lunch we headed out to mom and dad's house in Rivers. We always go to the Mother's Day supper at the legion. It was very good! Kent, Wendy and the kids were there too so the kids had a nice play. Cecil slept all afternoon at mom's....couldn't handle the early morning I guess (hehehe). Emma was very excited to give Grandma the herb garden she made for her. That was our daycare craft that the kids made. They turned out great!! We hope grandma loves it!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook Yesterday was Emma's first baseball practise of the season. Last year she played too or should I say she was on the team but didn't do much playing. We were kind of curious to see what she was going to do this year (being a year older) because last year all she did was pick flowers in the field not noticing if the ball landed on her toes. I have to say I was blown away last night watching her. She was hitting the ball, catching balls, running to the right bases. She was awesome!! Ben thought he was on the team too. Poor little guy, he acts like he is Emma's age and in fact he can do everything Emma can do but he can't play because he is to young. He did run the bases with Emma and they let him catch the odd ball and he even batted once. He was actually pretty good too. I was also worried what Emma was going to wear for baseball....anyone who knows Emma knows that she just wears dresses and skirts. She thought it would be fine to show up in a dress so I took her to the mall and bribed her into picking a sweatsuit or something suitable to wear. She found a pink sweatsuit with daimonds and flowers on it. She was very excited to wear it until they handed her a grey shirt to wear for her jersey. Emma HATES grey!!!! I wish I could of captured the look in her eyes when they gave it to her. She looked at me like I am not putting that shirt on....lol. It was funny! She did end up putting it on though. I don't know where she gets her fashion sense.....not from me. I hate wearing dresses!

Renovation Completion

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So we are finally done our small renovation project or it was supposed to be small but turned out to be more of an undertaking than we thought. We are going to take a renovation holiday this summer and do nothing. Next house I get will be NEW!! Hopefully! Even though our house is small I do love it! Anyway...I thought I would share some pictures with you. We have lots of people to thank for all of their help and free labor. Cecil's cousins did the new ceilings and drywall. Our friends Kevin and Marco were always on call when Cecil needed an extra hand. We sure appreciate good friends!! Our electrician who kept us laughing and tried to blow us off for 5 months. Thanks Jeff!!

Gavin's Birthday

Make a Smilebox scrapbook This past weekend we went into Winnipeg to celebrate Gavin's birthday (His actual birthday isn't until tomorrw the 7th). We had such a good time seeing all the kids. We don't get to see my brother Darren's kids (Peyton and Gavin) as much as we would like. Gavin says the funniest things. He is too smart for his age. I sure get a kick out of him. It is nice to get all of the cousins together even though it can sometimes be a little crazy as there is 6 of them under the age of 6. They always seem to enjoy each other's company even if a hockey fight breaks out or when Ben feels the need to wrestle someone. We spent the night at the hotel with Kent and Wendy and their kids, Owen and Jase and Grandma and Grandpa were there too. It was nice to spend some time with them too. And of course we have to go shopping when in the city! I was in search of a bathroom carpet runner, which apparently they don't make anymore because I can't find them anywhere. So I had to pick out a different kind of bathmat, 3 infact, that doesn't really work in the shape of my bathroom but anyway...200 and some dollars later I come out with mats that are completely different color, new towels to match the new mats and Cecil now has to paint the bathroom to match the color of these stupid mats! Sorry Cecil!! And not 5 minutes after I lay the mat down on my floor one of the kids poops all over it and now it is stained. Ugh! What can you do but laugh, right?