Christmas Time 2010

Ava's princess castle

Priceless Smile

Jaxen saying "car"

A few thank you's with hugs, sweet girl

Pure excitement

Ava's haul

Jaxen's haul

Daddy's

Mommy's





Chirstmas was good. I didn't get out of bed until 9:00am, what's better than that? I slept in Ava's room, woke up to my dog whining. I Went to wake up Kyle and Ava, they were awake watching catoons in bed. How nice of them to wait for me to wake up. Anyway, we had to go wake Jaxen up. That little boy likes to sleep in, makes me so happy. Ava started us out, she gets so excited. I love how her little face lights up. Jaxen went next. He was excited but I think he would have been satisfied with one toy. We would get him to try and open things but he just didn't want to. Kyle's main gift was a #4 hybrid golf club, whatever that is. He told me what he wanted so that's what he got. I also got him a few clothing items, he is running short of clothing. I got spoiled this Christmas. I got a video camera and a diamond necklace, I am a loved lady. After opening presents we made breakfast and just relaxed all morning. Once 2:00pm hit I was off to work. I was a little bummed about it but atleast I got to spend the morning with my family. Kyle and the kids went to his Grandma Shurtz' house for lunch later that afternoon. Then he hauled them to my Grandma Wendorff's for dinner. He is a good man! I got home from work around 12:00am hoping to watch a movie but Kyle was passed out. I suppose it is exhausting dragging the kids around all day. All in all it was a good day!

Christmas Show 2010

Ava has been in Musical Theater since September, she loves it! Every Thursday she gets so excited to go to Mrs. Roach's to sing and dance. I was a little nervous in the beginning if she would behave and listen. I think she is better for other people to tell you the truth. This past Friday was her Christmas Show. Again, I was nervous to see how she would do. I honestly thought she would be too nervous to sing and dance on stage let alone say her line. She did amazing! She was a little timid at first but once she got going she did great. I was so proud, I got little butterflies in my stomach. I think this will be good for her, it will give her a chance to open up and be confident. I am glad I decided to put her and I am sure she is as well.

I'm a Dog...

We have decided that Mikka our dog is going to be an indoor dog. It's taken us about 4 years to decide this. I often think about her and what a sad life she really has. We love our dog but she is large and very playful. She is the most loving and patient dog, she would never hurt anyone. She is great with the kids, she loves Ava. It has only been two days but I think it is going alright. She is actually lying beside me right now. She is busy around the house, there are so many new smells. You can already tell she is so happy, she loves being around us. The only down side is that Ava has decided she is a dog. She pants, barks and licks. Kyle thinks it's good that she has an imagination. I think she's crazy!

Blankie

Jaxen LOVES his blanket, it is his best friend. He needs it to fall asleep and is a very sad man if he doesn't have it. He likes to put it in his mouth for some reason. He doesn't suck on it but likes to bite on it. I think it's so cute when he rubs it on his face to comfort him. I just wanted you all to see how cute my baby boy is.

Lovely Snow

I have to admit that I don't care for snow. I don't like being cold, wearing coats or going outside in -30 weather. I sometimes wonder why I even live here. I guess it's just something you get used to and becomes part of your live. We were snowed in yesterday, literally. Kyle was able to get his truck out for work in the morning but there was a 4 ft drift in front of my garage. Kyle borrowed my dads snow blower last night and was outside for a good hour or so. Needless to say he made a pretty good pile of snow in front of our house. I always get good ideas that I should shovel the driveway. I think I am pretty strong and I could do it. I have come to the realization that I think I am stronger than I really am. Snow is heavy! I hurt my back and shoulders all the time. To get to the point, I was shovelling when Kyle got home from work today. I was doing pretty good. I had the kids and the dog out, we were having fun. Kyle heads right to the pile of snow and starts digging. He made a fort and I shovelled the drive way. The kids had a good time and so did my husband. Kyles always been a kid at heart. I love that man!!!

A Walk in the Past

I am sure a lot of people are aware I was in some sort of MVA. I found some pics lying around so I thought I would do a post about it. Back on July 5th, 1998 I was in B.C. for one of my cousins weddings. The wedding was over and a few days later we decided to go to White Rock Beach for the day. We had some breakfast first and headed back to my Aunt and Uncles. We then split up into different vehicles. I got into the vehicle which my cousin was driving, my sister in the passenger sit and my cousin from Lethbridge was sitting beside me in the back. I was sitting behind the driver. We started driving and were listening to some music and then blank...The next thing I remember is walking passed the mirror on my way to the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I burst out in tears, the initial reaction of what happened to my hair. I can't remember anything from the first 8 days after the car accident. I guess the mirror woke me up. I guess we were driving through a green light when somebody decided to turn in front of us. We hit them of course and I ended up hitting my head on something in the car. I was unconscious and somebody started CPR. The ambulance came and took me away. I had a CT scan at the hospital which showed a bleed on the brain. Off to surgery I went. They ended up having to cut a piece of my skull out to relieve the pressure. They then used stainless steel to wire the piece back in. If you are wondering if I beep at the air port, I do not. Everyone asks me that. They then used 54 staples to close me back up. That is the story of my car accident back 1998. I can't believe it's been over 12 years, it truly feels like it was yesterday. I am a very lucky person. It was a very rough time in my life and it still effects me till this day. That day changed my life in so many ways. I had a plan but that plan was changed for me. When it's all said and done, I wouldn't have changed one thing. My life is pretty dang good. I have a loving husband and two beautiful children. I don't think I will ever forget and all I can do is continue on LIVING. I truly did get a second chance.

Halloween 2010

Halloween as a mother is definitely different but it is equally as enjoyable. Ava was so excited this year, she could hardly contain herself. We started Halloween off by going to a party at Grandma Nola's. We had snacks, played some games and did a little visiting. Later on we went home, ordered some pizza and got ready for trick-or-treating. Ava really wanted to be Snow White, that's what she was last year. My mom bought this costume for Ava and with a little convincing, she was good to go. I think she is the cutest little witch in the whole world. Jaxen on the other hand wasn't so sure what was going on. Every time I put that spider costume on him, he would scream. As long as I had a sucker on hand he seemed to settle. We started around the block at 6:15. Ava was in heaven! After every house she would ask me "are we done?" When I said no she got a huge smile on her face. Jaxen was happy at first but every time someone put something in his bag, he tried to get it out. He was getting so upset that he couldn't reach into the bag and grab the candy. It was taking forever and he was freaking out. Kyle ended up taking him home and Ava and I continued around the block. It was getting a little bit chilly by the end of our circle so we decided to head home. We all sat down in the living room dumped out the candy to see the goods. The kids indulged for a little while and then had a good tooth brush and headed to bed. I was the lame house that shut my lights off at 8:00pm. I didn't want anyone to ring my doorbell and wake up my kids. All in all it was a great night!

Little Monster

Jaxen is surprising me more each day. This little guy knows what he wants! When he wants it, he wants it NOW. He has quite the scream/growl that tends to get to me. I can handle most things but when he lets out this awful noise it drives me nutty. He is talking more each day, most wouldn't understand but we can. He says thank you all the time, so cute. He dropped something in Subway and a lady handed it back. "thank you". She was surprised and I was proud. I had to capture these photo's, the sub looks bigger than his head. No need to worry, he did not eat the whole thing. It was actually mine and he wanted it so I let him have it. Kyle and Jaxen are buds, it makes me sad sometimes. Jaxen would rather be with him than me. I guess if you spend all day with a crazy lady you would be excited for a new face. Jaxen loves his blanket. Ava never had any attachment to anything. Every morning Jaxen grabs his blanket and their off together. Ava and Jaxen fight like no other, it annoys me but they are getting better. I know one day they will be best friends. It is amazing to watch my children grow, it is happening too fast.

Mr. McGoozers

Where did that name come from you ask? I don't know. I have called Jaxen that since he was a tiny baby. So that's that. Anyways, I love this little guy with all my heart. He's a little charmer and he lights up any room. His smile is to die for, it makes my heart melt. I have found that he has gotten a little left out. This post is dedicated to my Jaxen. He is now 18months and growing very quickly. He's running around like no other, getting into EVERYTHING. I found him under the sink actually eating dish soap. He is always one step ahead of me! Of course I have the child proof locks but I forget to lock them all the time. He still doesn't say very many words but he is getting better each day. You have to get him in the right mood if you want him to say something. Usually he just looks at you and laughs. He still doesn't say mommy, I know he can but he chooses not to. He says dada all the time and lights up when Kyle walks in the room, he loves his daddy. You may not understand him but I know what he is saying. He can say car, bubbles, baba, dada, attempts Ava, tractor, goodnight, go. That's all I can think of right now. He is obsessed with any kind of car/truck/tractor. He lights up and gets so exctied, it's so cute. He loves his big sister even though she beats him up everyday nonstop. Pretty soon he will be able to give it back. He used to lay down so easily but in the last week, everytime we lay him down he screams bloody murder for at least 5 min. I just leave him and he falls right asleep. Sounds mean but I don't want him to get used to us coming into his room. He truly is sweetheart and I love him so much. I think we are going to be buds when he gets older.

My little Ballerina

All ready for class

Lets get going!!!

My little girl has officially started her first dance class. I remember when I was in tap and ballet, not really but some memories still exist. I remember the shuffle step and my little pink body suit with bears and a big teal bow. Anyways, I am not sure how I feel. I am happy for her but my heart aches because I know she is growing so quickly. She was so excited when I bought her leotard and pink tights. She dances around all day and can't seem to get enough. When we woke up this morning I was in the bathroom and she peaks her head in and asks "is it time for dance today". We got dressed and honestly I was so worried about her hair. I can't even do my so how do they expect me to do hers. With a little gel and tons of hairspray I think I did okay, it didn't even go fuzzy. Her little friend Kylie is in her class so I think it makes it a little more fun for her. I dropped her off and she ran off with a smile. I picked her up 45 minutes later and she was already showing my her butterflies, witches and fairies. I am not sure what those are but I am sure I will learn soon enough. I asked her if she liked and she said "it was alright". She makes me laugh. Kyle then asked if she wants to go back and she said "maybe next week". Funny girl!

I'm falling behind!

Summer has been busy and fun. I truly haven't felt that we even had a summer as the weather went but we didn't let that get us down. I am only going to blog on one item right now and then maybe tomorrow I will blog again. I am going to focus on Medicine Hat in this post. I don't even remember when it was we went, maybe a month ago. Ava and I were going to go by ourselves for the weekend. I was excited to get away with my little girl but I thought it would be more fun with some girl company. I phoned Kristi and invited her and Ellie to join us. She accepted and we all met in Medicine Hat on a Saturday. I haven't been to Medicine Hat for probably 14 years so I have no idea where I was going. Kyle thankfully printed a map off for me and it actually wasn't hard to find, the hotel I mean. We stayed at the Medicine Hat Lodge. I had a free nights stay in an Executive Suite, which I won at the Magrath Museum dinner. We met Kristi and Ellie there and decided to go for a little snack at Wendy's. We then did a little shopping and I bought a new bathing suit, so cute. We then went to Kelsey's to eat supper. Ava was so tired, I wasn't sure if she was getting sick or just exhausted. She slept in the booth during supper, which was nice for me. She woke up, got a second wind and we were off to shopper's for some last minute items we forgot. We went back to the hotel and went swimming. They had 2 waterslides, a hot tub, a baby pool and a big pool. Afterwards we went back to our room to have a midnight snack and watch some tree house before bed. It truly was a nice getaway and I really need to do it more often.

Swimming Lessons

My little Ava was so excited to start swimming lessons this year. Ava espeacially loved her teacher Alyssa. Alyssa was so good with all the kids, I know I couldn't teach a bunch of three year olds. I was a little nervous, she has never put her head underwater. She got right in but never did put her head under. I am fine with that, I didn't want to force her because I didn't want her to become scared of the water. Raymond has a great set up for people with toddlers. Ava got to swim and Jaxen and I got to play in the kiddie pool. Can't wait for next year, I hope she puts her head underwater before then.

Rihanna Concert

I have always like going to concerts but as I get older I don't seem to go as much. I look on ticket master every now and then and the Rihanna concert caught my eye. I don't have any of her cd's but I hear her on the radio a lot. I like the songs and I knew she would put on a good show. I bought two tickets and knew exactly who was going with me. I called Kristi and told her to book July 6th off. The 6th came and I was so excited to leave my life for the evening. I left for Strathmore around 12:30pm and arrived 2 hours later. Ellie was sleeping so we finished getting ready and headed into the city. We went shopping for awhile and went to drop Ellie off with her dad. Kristi and I then decided to get a bit to eat. We went to Earls, where Kristi treated me to a delicious meal. If you ever eat at Earl's try the Jerra Curry Chicken, so yummy. We then headed over to the Saddledome where the concert was held. It is always so busy and I get a nervous feeling in my tummy for some reason, I always have in big crowds. I always think someone is going so steal me, crazy I know. We found our seats and waited for the show to begin. Kesha opened for Rihanna and it was actually really good. She is a bit strange but I enjoyed it. I also thought she would sound bad live but her voice was surprisingly good. Then Rihanna came out, the crowd went nuts. It was a very scandalous act, lots of skin and lots of touching. It also was a very dark performance, she has changed a lot since she first came out. It is up in the ranks for the concerts I have been to. The best part of the whole evening was being able to spend it with my best friend, Love you Kristi!!!





Look at those eyelashes!

Scandalous!

Very exciting

That outfit went right up her butt, nice bum though!

All and all a very good concert!

26!!!

I turned 26 on May 4th, 2010. I'm old and I hate it. I feel the wrinkles in my face, my body sagging more each day, and my joints hurting. In the whole scheme of things 26 is not that old but to me it feels old. 4 years and I am going to be 30, I don't even like to think about it. I feel like I am an 18 year old trapped in a 26 year old body. I try to do things that were a breeze back in the day and I almost kill myself. I couldn't even imagine what would happen if I did a back flip. I'm happy to admit that I am still pretty flexible but that too is fading away as my age progresses. I tell myself everyday that I am going to eat better, exercise and take care of myself. Not too much exercise happening over here and I don't eat what I should either. It's going to catch up to me, it has started already. I just remember being in high school and thinking my sisters were so old. That will never happen to me I thought, oh the things you think in high school. Anyways, I like to rant every now and then so there is my rant for the day. I hate getting old.

I want to go to sleep..

It's 2:32 am and I want to be in my own bed sleeping. Where am I you ask? Work, that's where I am. Work is such a lovely place, it a place where I get to help others and miss out on my very favorite thing, sleep. Is sleep really that important? YES YES YES!!! I cannot survive without sleep and these 1900-0700 shifts kill me. Why do I do them you ask? I don't really know, money I suppose. Do I like to work? Sometimes. Do I like to be up in the middle of the night? No. Do I like money? Yes. So I guess the money wins. Oh, the bills need to get paid as well and I like to feel that I contribute to that. I hate getting home and everyone is sleeping. Ava is usually in our bed and I end up waking her up and Kyle has to get up. I feel bad but then I am like, hey who was up all night working? Oh, that would be me. He gets up at 6:30 every morning so sleeping until 7:00 is like sleeping in for him. Maybe I will give her breakfast and put a movie in and then Kyle can sleep until Jaxen wakes up. Is that bad? I have a secret. I can't get up before eight, I just can't. If Ava wakes up she usually will get her DVD player and watch movies in my room until eight. Yesterday morning she came in our room at 5:00am and didn't fall back asleep. Kyle got up, Ava got up and I was MAD. I got her breakfast took her downstairs and I went back to sleep. I am the worst mom ever! Jaxen usually doesn't get up until 8:30ish. I have to sleep and if I don't get sleep, I am a nightmare to be around. I can't help it and I feel bad for whoever is around me. Having new babies is the worst for me. I was always so tired and angry in the middle of the night, just like everyother mom. The only difference is they can handle it and I can't. Kyle was my lifesaver. He would always take the kids for me after I fed them. He would even take them downstairs so I could sleep. He always said that he would rather be tired than deal with a tired me. Hence, I am crazy/out of my mind. So really this blog was a ramble about how I love sleep and I need sleep yet I am working a 12 hour night shift. I don't make any sense but at least it is the weekend and I have the BEST husband ever who will let me sleep all day and not complain once.

Jaxen's One!

Thomas the Train

Cute kids!

Ava gets so excited, Jaxen not so much

That's about all he ate of his cake

I'll just sneak a tad off the edge

My little man is officially one years old. I remember wishing he would hurry and get older but now I wish him a baby again. He gets everywhere and does not stop for one minute. He still is unable to walk and I am guessing he won't until about 15-16 months. He would rather crawl than even try. I don't mind but secretly I wish he would hurry up. He is getting pretty heavy and if I could set him down for a moment that would be nice. He is about 26 pounds and Ava is 30 pounds. We had a little get together with my side of the family. We had hotdogs, hamburgers and cake. Jaxen had a good time opening the presents but when it was time for cake I was surprised. I thought for sure he would dig right in but he hardly took a bite. He even cried, it was strange. Anyways, it was a good time had by all. My kids are growing up so fast but that just means I am getting old.

Who's bed? Mine!!!

We have been trying to get Ava to sleep in her "big bed" since December. In a post awhile back I swore I would never let Ava sleep in my bed, we will get back to that though. We started with the sitting in her room until she fell asleep but it didn't work. Then we tried laying in bed with her but that became a game. Then I ended up sleeping downstairs on a air mattress with her, that lasted about one month. It truly was the only way she would fall asleep and allow me to get some sleep too. I am not the greatest to be around when I haven't had any sleep. I then decided to take out her nap completely to see if that made a difference. Well, she now will fall asleep in her bed and stays there for about 3-4 hours. She will wake up in the middle of the night and find her way to our bedroom. Kyle tried taking her back to her bed but she would always find her way back in 10 or so minutes. I stopped fighting the one thing I didn't want to do. Ava now sleeps in our bed most nights. She is horrible to sleep with. She kicks, rolls, arms fly, it is dangerous. Oh well, I guess we are all sleeping though right?

Jaxen at 10 months

Cute little guy

Trying to crawl up the stairs

Jaxen has a special place in my heart. When Jaxen was born he was very stiff. His little body would not bend no matter how hard you tried. I honestly didn't think anything of it until anybody and everybody that held him commented on it. I decided to take him to the doctor to see if he thought anything was wrong. The doctor from Raymond decided to send him to a pediatrician in Lethbridge. Jaxen has been seeing Dr. Wong for about 8 months now. Initially Doctor Wong thought there was a possibility it was Cerebral Palsy. My heart sank at the news. We were then sent to the hospital so Jaxen could get an ultrasound through his soft spot on his head to see if there was any bleeding on the brain. The ultrasound was clear thank heavens but then what was causing the stiffness? Jaxen has also been seeing a physiotherapist for about 6 months to work with him. It's a workout for Jaxen but I think it really is helping him. Everytime we go back to Dr. Wong, the stiffness seemed to decrease. The last time we went to see Dr. Wong he said the stiffness had resolved itself. That was a relief but all that worry for nothing. I know they want to prepare you but come on, I was a basket case. The stiffness is gone but Dr. Wong is now worried because Jaxen is behind on his developmental growth. Jaxen couldn't sit until he was almont 9 months old. He still can't really crawl, he army crawls. The last time we say the doctor he said he wanted Jaxen walking along furniture, that won't happen. He really is getting better, I find that he is about 2-3 months behind most babies his age. But then what's this business about every baby being different. I don't know what to think but I do know I love him and he can take how ever long he wants to start walking. We go back to see Dr. Wong on the 24th of this month so we will see. Here is a list of what Jaxen is doing and liking these days:

-Loves food! Eats anything and everything

-Eats 3 times a day and 3-4 bottles

-Can army crawl. Can crawl 3-4 steps then drops back to his stomach

-Starting to pull himself onto things

-Can get up 2 stairs by himself

-Can get into crawling position from tummy and then sit up

-Still only says dada, laughs at me when I say mama

-Sleeps through the night most nights

-Loves Ava and tries to keep up with her

-Laughs at everything

-Has a tender heart