aydan is 3!

You've come a long way little girlie!

Aydan had such a great 3rd birthday. We celebrated her day with a super awesome cake from Amanda's Creative Cakes along with lots of food and presents and family. It was a great day. I really want to make sure Aydan has a special birthday. She was born Dec 20th and because it's so close to Christmas I want it so she feels like it's all about her. Not lumped in with Christmas. She is special too! Here are some shots of her day and a link to check out Amanda's Cakes!

amandascreativecakes.blogspot.com

before

I am so excited that we, and when I say we I mean Jeff and his dad, are starting to work on finishing our basement! When we purchased the house we got it with the material we'd need to finish the basement. The kids have always shared a room so that has been no big deal. And they have so much more room in this house, still sharing, than they did at the 'tiny house'. Liam and Connor are super pumped to move downstairs and get their own space though. I think that Aydan might be a tad lonely in her huge purple room when the boys are settled downstairs.

It will definitely be an adjustment.

Here's some before pictures of our basement and hopefully it won't be too long until I'm boasting after pictures. A finished home for a Christmas present is music to my ears!

Family Room

Laundry Room

Bathroom

Liam's Room

Connor's Room

It's just lovely!

happy anniversary

Today Jeff and I have been married for 9 years.

It feels great to 'beat the odds' and stay together for this long when the world was against us. We both have very supportive families and they have all been such a blessing in our lives. Sure, there have been rough times and hard stuff that we've had to go through. We pretty much had to grow up together and be adults because there was no other choice. It has brought us so close and I'm glad for that.

I was looking through our wedding album when Liam came in. He just stared at the pictures of the three of us. This was our conversation:

Liam: "How long have you been married?"

Me: "Nine years tomorrow."

Liam: "I am nine..."

Me: "You sure are!" *smiling*

Liam: "So you can have a baby when you're not married?"

Me: "Shut the door Liam. I want to make this very clear to you. Yes you can have a baby when you are not married. But no, it is not the best thing to do. I need you to understand that you were never a mistake. God has always had a plan for you and you are a very special guy. Mommy and Daddy weren't being responsible and God decided that we needed to grow up and He gave us you. It would have been better and easier if we would have waited and got married first but sometimes people don't make the best choices. We loved each other very much and wanted to be a family. And we have never regretted it!"

Liam: "I was a pretty cute baby. And I'm glad that we're a family."

Me: "Me too Liam."

Liam: "Mom, why do you have so many kissy pictures?? Yuck!"

I hope that I did the right thing and told him in the best way. It has never been a secret, we are very young. I just need him to know that there has always been a plan for him, for all the kids! What I can do is pray and trust that God is in charge and He knows best. I'm so thankful for our family and I'm so grateful that God is good and has blessed us so richly.

It's been a great nine years and I'm looking forward to many more nine years-es!

Here are a few of our 'ancient' wedding shots...

wonderful wednesday

This year it was hard getting into a regular routine for me.

I wanted to rebel and not get back into

the 'normalcy' of fall.

Well as soon as fall began, I have been hooked

right back in the routine... at least on Wednesdays...

I love Wednesdays. They are the best.

I get together with a bunch of girls

and our kids get to socialize with each other

while we chat about life and God and family

and eat super awesome snacks.

Seriously the bar is raised high, right up there high...

at the very top.

Today .J. was hostess with the mostess. .A. did not disappoint

(like that would ever happen)

and made some super delicious awesome snackables.

It was great.

We did miss .E. and .H. though.

Oh and the kids had a great time together too!

Even though they didn't get in their

regular scheduled child care time.

Thanks girls for the great Wednesdays.

I'm looking forward to many more of them!

crafty

I guess I'm kinda crafty, when I want to be. We needed curtains in our bedrooms. We have no budget for window coverings. So I took our old flat sheet, cut it in half lengthwise, folded together to double the thickness, and sewed 'em shut! I know, I wasn't expecting it to work either! Then I did the same thing to Aydan's room with her new sheet set so her curtains match her bedding. I'm pretty proud of myself. Got some cheap-o curtain rods and hung the bad boys up all by myself.

The first is our bedroom the second is Aydan's.

Which you probably could have figured out on your own...

Not bad eh?

I also hung up the kids pics that Alesha Faye Photography

and my buddy Crystal did for us.

I think they are just fabulous!

And the last one is a new crochet project I have on the go.

I really want to get this one done soon,

but only have 2 completed squares.

I think I have another, oh let's say, 23 to go.

Yeah, I guess I'm crafty!

dedicated to crystal c

We have some truly wonderful friends. Here is a little background... Our church welcomed Don and Crystal in as youth pastory people some time ago. We met for home groups at their house, and when Aydan was born she came along those Tuesday evenings. Don and Aydan hit it off right away and have been buddies ever since! Just ask her! Crystal does wonderful black and white photos and did Aydan's first infant photo shoot as a gift for us. Here are some of my faves...

When Crystal decided to go to a black and white photo class I, naturally, volunteered any of my kids as models. Aydan likes having her pictures taken so it wasn't a huge stretch for her. The shoot was an hour long, 2 rolls of film, lots of blown bubbles, ending with a few tears.

It was worth it!

Crystal, you have captured our little Angel in such a

beautiful light it's hard to find the right words.

Thank you... is all I can say.

best saturday ever

We really had a great Saturday. The kids helped me with the grocery shopping. And had no bad attitudes about it. They listened when I said no, they didn't need any new toys. They helped with the finding of all our winter jackets. After realizing the bag they were in was ripped and they were smelling funny, the kids helped with the laundry. I love it! It really has been a spectacular Saturday.

And now...

...they watch Spongebob... perfection!

aydan's new friend

Aydan has a plethora of baby dolls. She loves all of them in their own special way. People can't seem to not purchase new baby dolls for Aydan, myself included. This post is dedicated to the old, the new and the 'fallen' baby dolls that have weaved their ways in and out of Aydan's life.

This is just a sample of the many dolls Aydan has collected. Let me remind you about the dolls that are not pictured, they will not go forgotten or unannounced.

All this said, Aydan only has eyes for 'Sally'...

(for now...)

changes

School starts up in a week or so and Liam will be a grade 4-er and Connor a grade 1-er. I don't know how this new year will look with starting a new school, Connor having whole days and Aydan, my only baby at home. It will be different but I have a good feeling about it.

I was a little nervous until I talked with my Gramma L about it. She said it's an exciting new stage! Aydan is potty trained and becoming more and more independent, Liam is growing into such a man and Connor is starting his full time school career. It is a very exciting time to come out of the baby things and into a whole new level of parenting and life. I don't feel so nervous about it anymore, I'm happy to enter into the next chapter!

Here's to an awesome new year with these crazy people!

family photos

I love family pictures. Jeff doesn't like to have his picture taken and the kids would rather run around than stand still for a shoot but, we got it done! It's something that's important to me and we haven't had a picture done since last year. I figured it was time. Alesha Faye Photography did these shots and I just love them. I can't wait for Christmas when I can hand out photo cards.

aydan joy

This post is dedicated to Aydan...

Aydan was born December 20, 2006. Again, with myself having the best uterus in town, she did not wish to get out any time soon and I was overdue. Only by 1 week this time. Christmas was on it's way and our lovely doctor induced me a week early otherwise I'd be in the hospital on the 25th. The labour was o.k this time, I felt confident and in control. My water broke on it's own and that was when it started getting serious and intense. A short while later Aydan made her way into our world. I could not believe that she was a girl! Our doctor held her up in the air and said, "Here she is! Here is your baby daughter!" we all cried out in shock. Aydan was 6 lbs 14 oz and was 19 3/4" long. Such beauty in such a tiny body! We named her Aydan which means Born Of Fire and Joy which is kinda self explanatory! She has so lived up to her names. Aydan has such a fiery personality and she is such a happy girl. She has brought so much joy to our family and when people talk to her they have a hard time not smiling! Aydan was the easiest baby with sleep as her speciality. I thought there was something wrong with this happy, sleepy, smiley baby. Turns out Aydan was just content with most everything! She was sleeping 8-9 hours at night when she was only 1 month. Nursing her was no problem at all and I found it hard to quit just before she turned 1 year old, but she took a sippy cup and the transition was flawless. Aydan is such a determined little girl. She is 2.5 years old right now and she is learning and growing so fast I can't keep up! She is such a little lady yet has no issue getting into the mud and scrapping with her brothers.

My heart for Aydan is that she would always follow the heart that God has given her. That she would hear His voice and never waiver. I pray that God would grant her great understanding of who she is in His eyes. He has made a wonderful masterpiece when He created Aydan. She is His great Joy.

God bless you Aydan, we love you so much!

Cheers!

connor james

This post is dedicated to Connor...

Connor was born June 24th 2003. Fallowing in his big brothers footsteps he also was 2 weeks overdue and I had to be induced. The labour was intense but only half as long as with Liam. When Connor made his appearance into our world he came out screaming. And he has made his presence known ever since his first day on the earth. He weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and measured in at 22" long. We named him Connor which means Strong Willed or Much Wanted and James which means Supplanter. He is now 6 years old and such a little man already! Connor has such a stubborn nature it's hard to say where that came from, Jeff or myself... probably a big mix of the two! Jeff says that Connor is wired at 220 and I think that's a pretty accurate statement. When he was a baby Connor cried all the time. He screamed for everything and nothing. It was a hard first 6 months for me with that little ball of anger but at about 7-9 months we found a method that worked very well for communicating. I taught Connor 3 different signs. If he wanted something he would sign for me. He didn't talk, he didn't try to talk, all he did was screech. This signing thing worked so well for us. He caught on quickly and every time he signed for 'more' or 'please' he would be praised and he loved it! The screaming pretty much stopped although he didn't speak until he turned 2 years old. He said mama and daddy but he didn't start talking for real until 2. I'm sure he was observing everyone and was making sure that when he did speak that it would be perfection, and it was just that. He hasn't stopped talking since! He even talks in his sleep!

My heart for Connor is that he would know himself. That God would show him who He has created him to be. There was no mistake when God made Connor and I pray that his energy and spark would be put to full use in the Kingdom.

God bless you Connor, we love you so much!

Cheers!

liam brian

This post is dedicated to Liam...

Liam was born July 6th 2000. He was 2 weeks overdue and I had to be induced. It was a long hard labour that resulted in kind of a scare. Liam was a blue/purple color when he finally decided to make his way out into our world. After a small amount of fervent prayers God saw fit to perk him up and help him breathe successfully. He was 9 lbs on the button and was 22.5" long. My chubby little first born. We named him Liam which means Determined Guardian and Brian which means Strong One. He is now 9 years old and growing up faster than I can imagine. God has put such a gentle spirit in our boy, he has compassion for people that I sometimes don't understand. Liam is also a very headstrong leader and people follow him without really knowing why! He knows what he wants and when he wants it!

My heart for him is to see him grow up to his full potential. To be placed where he can use his gifts to their full extent. I pray that he will stay true to himself and never compromise for others.

God bless you Liam, we love you so much!

Cheers!

otter falls '09

Our annual trip to Otter Falls in the beautiful Whiteshell was a success! There were 3 rainy days out of the 7 but all in all we had a great time. There was far too much to eat, all of it was fried and really bad but it was worth it. Games were played, many fish were caught, ice cream was eaten and kids stayed up way past their bedtimes! It was marvelous.

summer camp

Liam is the luckiest kid ever! He usually wins whatever draw or contest he enters his name into. The Eagle 93.5fm was giving away 2 spots to Pembina Valley Bible Camp on the radio one morning. They asked 3 times for caller number 5, I finally took the hint and called in. Liam played sound effects theater with the host and won the spots to mini camp. I can't believe how grown up he is. It was a little hard to drop him off and just drive away but I felt confident that he was in good hands and would hardly have time to miss us. We picked him and his buddy up today and let me say that they had the best time! They did so much in those 3 days it's hard to mention them all. Archery, horseback riding, EDGE/chapel (Every Day God Experience), hiking, and so on...

Here's a couple pics from his experience, enjoy!

starting up yet again

Here I am. Back again. Once upon a time I had a blog and felt that I was getting too personal. I didn't like the feeling it gave me. So, after a break, I'm trying again. This blog is going to be all about our family. Adventures and fun times... seasons and life! Wish me luck as I start over. I think it'll be much more fun this time!