Sisters

This was Emma and Stella this morning watching cartoons before school. Emma adores Stella and can't get enough of her and Stella loves being with her. She can always make Stella smile and is constantly giving her kisses which Stella doesn't always love. I watch them and sometimes think how lucky they are to have each other, I wonder if they will be best friends? I've always watched my mom with all of her sisters, my friends with their sisters and wished I had that. I hope Emma and Stella will always be close!!

First Day of School

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Stella's First Photo Shoot

Make a Smilebox slideshow Here are the pictures we had done of Stella when she was 2 months old. The kids love having their pictures taken! I can't believe how fast Stella is growing, it makes me very sad:( I wish she could stay this small forever. She is such a good baby. I feel so blessed as I was worried having to start daycare here after only 5 weeks. She sleeps an 8 hour stretch at night (none of my other kids did that unitl they turned 1) which allows me to keep my sanity during the day:) She is the love of my life and she keeps me smiling everyday and I can't get enough of her. Almost makes me want to have another one (hehe)!

Ben's 4th Birthday Party

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My little "spiderboy" turned 4 last week and I can't believe it!! After 4 years of loving spiderman he is still obsessed with him. I had to convince him to have a different kind of birthday party this year instead of spiderman which we've had for that past 3 years. He still makes me laugh and does the craziest things sometimes. He is a great big brother to Stella and takes good care of her making sure she is always covered in a blanket. We got him an ipod for his birthday as he wanted what he called "music in my ears". So he thinks he is pretty cool walking around with his earphones, just like Bella he says in Twilight (lol). We had everyone over for his party but had to do it in shifts as the family is getting to big to have in my small house:) Ben had a great day! Happy Birthday little buddy, we love you!!

Stella

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Two weeks ago today Stella Dianne Grace, unwantingly, came into this world with a loud scream that was to be heard by the whole floor. I went into the hospital Tuesday June 23rd 7:30 a.m. to be induced (thinking it was a large baby) and was sent home serveral times because they were too busy but by 2:00 p.m. things got rolling and I was in labour. They finally got me a room 10:00 that night and I thought things would go fast but all night nothing happened unitl....5:00a.m. when nurses starting scurrying around the room in a bit of a panic as I was bleeding alot and they didn't know what was happening. They called my doctor in and prepped me for an emergency c-section but last minute they broke my water to see where the blood was coming from and it was clear, the doctor left the room for a minute and then I felt something, the nurse looked and there was Stella's head, 5 minutes later she was here, just had to give one little push! I looked over at her and everyone said "she doesn't look 9lbs." and nope she wasn't 7lbs. 12ozs. She was perfect!! We were suprised she was a girl, girls are hard to come by in both our families. We feel very blessed to have 2 girls and of course to have our one special boy. Our family feels complete.

Stella and I had a rough first week. She was born with a tongue tie which makes it hard for them to latch on when feeding. They did snip it the day we came home from the hospital but that first night home was horrible. She still wasn't feeding right and by morning I was bleeding, very sore, and extremely tired from being up all night trying to get her to eat which she eventually gave up trying. When the nurse checked on me the next morning I was pretty much a complete mess, I hurt so bad I didn't want to feed her and all Stella wanted to do was sleep. She ended up losing too much weight, we ended up back at the hospital for an afternoon and they decided to have her tongue clipped again. We had lots of help from the nurse who came to our house and we started feeling better, Stella started eating better and now things are good.

Cecil has been off helping me out with the kids. All I do is hold Stella, I know how fast they grow and I don't want her to get bigger. This is probably our last baby and I plan to cherish every little second I can holding her and cuddling with her. Cecil goes back to work Monday so back to reality I go!!

Oh Ben!!

I know I said my next Blog entry would be about the baby but I had to say something quick about the fair and a couple of things that Ben did that makes me laugh.

We went to the summer fair on Sunday even though it was 8 degrees and raining but we had a blast. I thought maybe the fair food and rides might induce labour but no luck! Anyway...we went early enough to be able to get on the rides without any line ups which is pretty suprising. The kids were able to get on all the kiddy rides except Ben ran into a couple of rides that he was and inch too short, you had to be 42" and he was 41" but by the end of the day and not allowed on a couple of rides that he really wanted to go on he figured out something....we told the kids it was the last ride of the day and they picked the tug boat ride which u had to be 42" to get on, we told Ben he was too short but he could try, so the man asked him to stand at the ruler and I look over and he is on his tip toes and before I could say anything the man told him to go ahead, apparently he didn't notice what Ben just did and Cecil and I thought it was hilarious!!

So the next day we went to Home Depot and were standing in line waiting for Cecil to pay for something and I look over at Ben and he had a funny look on his face and was hanging on to his coat pockets. I asked him what he had in his pockets, he said "nothing" , not believing him I looked inside and found all the packets of bubble gum he was standing beside. LOL...he is too funny, I wonder what he'll be like when he is a teenager??

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and looks like I may have the baby next week (cross our fingers). The doctor said it looks to be a "BIG" baby (I've been telling her that all along) so she might induce next week, I just have to wait for an ultrasound which will hopefully happen by the end of the week. I'll keep u posted!

Little of This, Little of That

Make a Smilebox scrapbook Emma wanted me to take some photos of her (she loves this) so I thought I would post some. The weather is still not great, it gets cold at night and usually windy during the day but we have managed to spend a few days on the waterslide. We are patiently waiting for the baby to come, just a few more weeks. The kids are moving into their new room tomorrow and then we will set up the baby's room. We are still in the midst of minor renovations but the baby is not going to wait for them to be done so we are moving on. We had our new windows put in and we are really happy with them. Hopefully the kids settle in nicely into their new room. I don't think Ben is too thrilled! Probably the next time I post I will have baby news for you (well at least I better have baby news, hehe) I better not go past the due date!!

No Training Wheels!

In March we ordered Emma a new bike since she has been riding her litle 12" bike since she was 2 and last summer we tried taking off the training wheels and it didn't go over so well so we thought we would work on it more this summer. So when we ordered her bigger bike we asked them to put training wheels on it and the guy suggested we get the 20" then so it would last her 2 years even though she can't touch the ground sitting on the seat right now at least the training wheels would hold her up. Well as we waited a month for this bike to come in Emma took off the training wheels on her little bike so she could practise. She was so determined to do it...the first day she would get on (didn't want my help) and fall over every time and get up and cry, scream, stomp her foot, kick the snow bank, u name it she did it, she was so frustrated but didn't want to give up (Cecil says she has my temper??). The next day we suggested trying on the grass instead of the driveway and she did a little bit better, not so frustrated and by the 3rd day she was off and running, up and down the street doing great! So the new bike arrives, Emma is sooo excited, she gets on it and it is too big and she doesn't like it and refuses to use it, so she is still riding around town on her little 12" bike hoping she grows and inch soon so she can ride her new bike. Lesson learned....never but something she will grow into but what fits now even though it won't last as long!!

Let the Ball Games begin!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow Now that it has warmed up outside (at least some days) we have started baseball. You can find us at the ball diamonds Monday thru Thursday which leaves no time for Cecil and I to play ball this year :( Oh well I guess I wouldn't of been able to play anyway. This is Ben's first year playing ball and he is very pumped about it. He is actually quite good comparing him to Emma and her first year where all she did was pick flowers. He seems so small out there and he makes me giggle just watching him because he's all about the stance and half the time he has his glove on the wrong hand but is down and ready if the ball comes to him. He's so funny! This is Emma's first year on the prospects team which means there is no more tee. The ball is either thrown by a parent or there is a pitching machine. She is doing very well but does not show the enthusiasm like Ben does as you might notice in the pictures. She's definitely not an excitable kid at least she doesn't show it. She likes to visit the other 2 girls on the team and she'll wonder off the field in the middle of the play to grab a drink or to say hi to Ben. She's pretty funny too! Ball season ends June 26th which means the baby will be here before then (well it better be cuz I'm not going over), so it will make the remainder of the pregnancy go by fast!

Easter 2009

Here are some of our pictures we took Easter morning! We had a quiet Easter this year with just us here. We celebrated Easter with my side of the family on Good Friday and of course I forgot to take pictures:( The Easter bunny brought them big chocolates which they were in love with, some Olympic Gear clothes for Vancouver 2010 (from the store I work at), books and stainless steel water bottles (who else thinks they charge too much for those things?) Anyway....that was our Easter nice and quiet!

I Am Still Alive!!

Again I am slacking on updating my Blog so I'll give you the run down on what has been keeping us so busy the last couple of months...

Where to start???....Oh yes income tax time!! This is a very stressful time of the year for me as I am very unorganized with my bookkeeping and having my own business which means I leave sorting my receipts until February which have collected in a gift bag since last year. As i go to sit down at my craftroom table, which I don't sit at anymore as it is covered in paper, receipts, etc., I find that my stuff is still layed out since 2006 income tax time (i know how embarassing). I have to clear out this room anyway since Emma and Ben will be moving into it very soon so I thought I should take the time to sort through everything in here. Two weeks later and 2 recycling bins (the big black ones on the street) full of shredded paper I have finally organized my business papers, receipts and other important papers and most importantly filed my 2008 income tax!! But as a look around the room I see that there is still alot that needs to be done before I can clear the room for the kids.....that brings me to my scrapbooking stuff.

I have been scrapbooking since I don't know when ...maybe '96. Since then I have collected ALOT of stamps, papers, tools, albums, you name it I've got it. After I had the kids the dust seems to be growing thicker on these things and finally brought myself to sell most of it last week. It was a hard decision but my friend introduced me to digital scrapbooking and thought maybe that is the way to go. So anyway I posted all my stuff on ebrandon (it's like a local ebay) and it all went within 2 days:( Now the room is still somewhat full but it is Cecil's stuff that needs to go somewhere....he has a hard time letting anything go so it should be interesting what happens the next couple of weeks as we go through his stuff!

We also tore down the bar we had downstairs, as it hasn't seen a drop of alcohol since before we were married, and we plan to move the computer/craft area in that corner. I forgot to take the before picture but here is the after. We are still waiting on our electrician to come so we can redrywall that wall, hence the holes in the wall.

We did get away for a much needed break for 4 days and went to Winnipeg to relax at the hotel while Cecil was at a conference. It was fun to sit around and do nothing. The kids did improve on their swimming skills being in the pool so much, Ben was under the water the whole time as long as he had his batman goggles on. Emma is overcoming her fear of the water and is becoming more independent. Here are a few pic's...

As for the baby....I'll be 28 weeks on thursday and I am feeling good. The baby is growing fast, or at least I am, and it likes to kick all night and keep me up. Still trying to agree on boy's name but am ready if it is a girl! Can't wait to meet him or her!!

Sex with Sue

So everyone wants to know what I learned at Sex with Sue but I like to keep my Blog PG so there is really only so much I can say (hehe). I will say that she did talk about how and what to say to your kids about sex and what is good behavior and what is not, so that was good because I have been dreading those years and now I feel prepared, yah right (lol). If you don't know who Sue Johanson is she is a 79 year old woman from Toronto who when I was a teenager had a radio call in show on Sunday nights, it was called the Sunday Night Sex Show. Even my older friends remember her on the raido so needless to say I was suprised she is still out and about as she seemed pretty old when I was in high school. As she was standing up there talking I was thinking how much she reminded me of my Grandma (Hewson) and this little old lady was giving all these young people advice on Sex with her basket of "toys", it was really funny. Anyway...the night was alot of fun and we had tons of laughs and learned more than we wanted to know, what more can u ask for?!!

19 Weeks and Counting!!

Today I went for my ultrasound and I am 19 weeks along. Yes there is only one baby in there as everyone was sure it was twins. I guess it being the third pregnancy you get bigger (I'll just use that excuse, hehehe). I started taking a prenatal fitness class and I really am enjoying it. I was a bit hesitant at the first class seeing all these young girls all carrying their first babies and barely showing, I felt kind of old but it kind of makes me smile inside seeing how naive they are about what is about to happen. Anyway the ultrasound guy said everything looks good and that I have a very active baby which makes me think I am having another boy like Ben but we will have to wait and see!! My due date is June 24th.

So a few hours after I got home from the hospital with my ulrasound I was back in Emergency with Ben. He was playing in the play area under the stairs and knocked the lightbulb with his head and shattered it. He had a million tiny pieces of glass sticking out of his head, blood everywhere. I had to call my friend Karrie to come over and stay with the daycare kids so I could take him in (Thanks so much Karrie). They just ended up gluing the one bad spot back together, which was good cuz Ben was pretty scared when he went in. He only cried once when they had to go in deep to get the last piece of glass.

So it has been a crazy busy day but I still have lots more excitement left in my day. I am just heading out to go for supper with my girls club (wish i could have a paralyzer) and then we are going to see Sex with Sue. I am sure I will want to Blog about that tomorrow, it should be hilarious!!

Where has the Time Gone???

Make a Smilebox scrapbook So my friends have brought it to my attention that my last entry on here was Halloween (oops). Where has the time gone??? Christmas has come and gone already and we are into the new year. This past month has been VERY busy with me working 2 jobs, the kids year end things and me being very sick. I am pregnant with our third child and we are very excited but I am finding with this pregnancy that I am more tired, not feeling that great and I'm way huge already. It doesn't help that I have had this horrible cold that won't go away, what has it been more than a month now (ugh)? We have lots of work ahead of us to get ready for this baby as we need to purge half the things in our house to make room. I am trying to convince my wonderful sister in law to sell me her house (hint hint Wendy) but I don't think that is going over to well (hehehe). We had a wonderful Christmas and got spoiled again from my parents. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day out in Rivers. It went by so fast but the kids had such a great time. I love to see how excited they get. Cecil's family came over on the 23rd and the kids had a hockey game against the uncles and then we finished the day by swimming at Tim and Eleanor's hotel. It was nice to have everyone together as we don't get to do that every often. We start back at our regular routines tomorrow and I think I am looking forward to that. Emma is getting bored sitting around the house as it is too cold to do anything outside. I think Cecil and I need a vacation from entertaining the kids for 2 weeks. We are exhausted!! We hope you all had a Great Christmas with your friends and family like we did and We wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year in 2009!!!