Oh Halloween!

The kids have been somewhat excited for Halloween and sort of talked like they knew what it was all about, but when it came down to costume time things went a little sideways!  LOL.  Nothing major and I think Andrew and I were expecting them to back-out at the last minute anyway, but we managed to pull this together:  A blue ghost and a princess?  It started out with Ambrose wanting to be a Robot, but we knew that for sure when it came down to actually "wearing" a robot costume -he wouldn't.  We went with that idea anyway until last week he changed his mind and held steady at wanting to be a ghost - a blue ghost.  Maisie was all over the place with her ideas, but then also decided and was firm on being a pink ghost!  I think Maisie decided the ghost was too scary or something and we had some technical difficulties with Ambrose's, but..... they made it out the door!!!  

They are 3 Years Old Now!

October 20, 2008 Ambrose Parker and Maisie Ann turned 3 years old!  

Wow! I can hardly believe that 3 years has gone by already!  

Ambrose has taken his role as "big" brother quite seriously :-D  by telling Maisie what to do or NOT to do, or just showing guenuine concern for her and checking on her periodically at preschool. (Their teacher told me that).  Maisie is quietly developing her creative side.  She loves to draw pictures and do puzzles and seems to have a pretty good visual memory.  Although she seems quiet I know there is a big personality in there!

We had a little 3rd Birthday Party for them celebrated by their Grandparents on both sides, their cousin Jordan and our good  friends Mike & Cynthia and their son Ben (who is only 16 days older than the twins) and their daughter Daisy (7.5mos?).  

Being their first party to celebrate a birthday I don't think they really understood the whole thing, but they sure knew what to do when it came to presents!  

I could not have pulled this small gathering off without Cynthia and both of my moms!

They all saved me in the lunch portion of the party!  

Cakes!  Oh My Gosh!  Look at these cakes!!  Cynthia made the most AMAZING cakes for the kids!!  I cannot believe how cool and awesome these cakes were!  I already knew she was a very talented and creative person, but I had no idea she was hiding her knack for cake decorating too!   

It was too bad that the kids don't like to hear the Happy Birthday song sung to them. I am not sure why this is or what caused them to cover their ears and start screaming and run away when the candles where lit and we started singing.  I hope it is better next year! These pics were taken after that episode.

You know the icing is the BEST part of the cake!!

Maisie

Ben

All the gifts were wonderful and so perfect for the kids, but I have to show you my personal favorite.  Capes!  Super Hero Capes made by Cynthia!!  How can it get more special than this to have a handmade gift?!  Thank you so much Cynthia!

Give me the Bear Facts

So it turned out to be an interesting day yesterday!  I took the kids over to the park / playground yesterday around 1pm.  (this park with a small playground is a 2 min  or 6 min with kids, walk from our front door).  We had only been there maybe 10 minutes and a woman came over to me and whispered to me that there was a momma bear with a cub up a tree at the end of the park.  She said it had been there over the lunch hour and the conservation officer had come out, but didn't do anything.  So like the one other family at the playground, we left and came home.  A few hours later I saw some of my neighbors out in their driveways and one of them told me the bear came walking up from the park into our cul-de-sac and proceeded to one of the backyards!  Well from there the momma bear and cub ran up a tree and perhaps in part because I had let our dog outside and he went crazy barking and growling.  I brought our dog back in the house.  We had clear view of the tree containing the bears from our kitchen nook window!!  My question this morning was, "How would I know if the bears were gone?"  and "where did they go?"  I was just curious about our safety.  As far as I know a momma bear with a cub can be a dangerous.  The conservation officer who was contacted again after the bear arrived at the neighbors just said it was part of nature and to just let her return.    Hmmmmm.  I don't claim to know a whole lot about bears, and have always respected them while out hiking, but to me a lost bear with a young one in a residential area is not a good thing.  I need to get the bear facts on this one.  Maybe she will just find her way home peacefully?

Random Facts About ME!

Random Facts About ME!

I was tagged by Cynthia!

Here are the rules:  Link to the person who tagged you.  Post the rules on your blog.  Write six random things about yourself.  Tag six people at the end of your post.  Let each person know he or she has been tagged.  Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

**Random Facts About Me**

1.  I have carpel tunnel.  Hence my increasingly messy handwriting. 

2.  I donate blood on a fairly regular basis.

3.  I was engaged to be married on top of a glacier.  

4.  I have an amazing talent for making friends with and surrounding myself with Incredible People!  ;-D

5.  I have a tattoo. 

6.  I have painted two houses, inside and out. (with my hubby - not alone!) 

I am tagging: Heather

I don't have many Blogger Friends!  Yikes!

Laughing Out Loud!

LOL!  Yes, I am laughing at myself because I LIKE blogging and yet I seem to have these 2+ month gaps in between posts and I ALWAYS say "I won't wait so long" or "I will keep up with this"........ well, you can see what happens!  Good Grief Greta!  

Well, if there is anyone out there is still checking in here (???) you can see some updated photos here until I get some posts up!

Lucy Lime Studios

This is a link to the most amazing photographer's website!!  We met with with  photographer Jillian,  on October 4th for a family session and here are some sneak peeks of our photos, but check out the rest too!  They are excellent!  She is such a wonderful person and I love her photography!

More to come..... summer is over, preschool, harvest time, home renos to name a few!

Getting there........

Getting where you ask? On the way to a healthy household again! Andrew is now fully recovered from his hernia operation I would say. 6+ weeks of no lifting, pulling, lawn mowing, picking up kids or much of anything! The chicken pox have come and gone. The puke monster paid a visit last weekend, but has since departed. My finger nail has nearly fallen off only a little bit left to go, so I would say we are on our way! The kids currently have runny noses, but that's ok because in a few days that too will be gone!

I have yet to take some picture of the new summer place Andrew's Mom and Dad have built at Cultus Lake! I have been waiting to write about it until I had taken some pictures, but I haven't taken any yet! So, sorry! I will take a bunch this weekend as we are heading out there for the long weekend!

I am happy for the rainy day today! It is a nice break from all the lovely sunshine we have been having. And it feels like a day to stay in and get caught up on laundry, housework and make a chicken pie! Which is what I am making for dinner! Yum Yum

I am getting my hair cut this week and cannot wait! Something new, something different.
(I hope!) I need a new look!

I found a preschool for the kids this fall and I am so excited at the thought of 6 hours / week to myself!! And a little sad of course, but I KNOW the kids will LOVE it!!! I just have to get Ambrose going on the potty training or he will have to stay with me while his sister goes to school. He WON'T like that!!!

Family Resemblance

The resemblance on my mom's side of the family is pretty strong. As you can see from the above picture. Even the "married ins" are starting to look like us! Ha Ha Ha

Part 2 - Burns Lake - Family Reunion

Ahhhh, I have done it again!! Time has passed now and I forgot all the things I wanted to say about our trip and family reunion!? Oh, well, I will post some pictures instead! One thing I would like to say is that even though we did not get to sit down and talk to EVERYONE at the Family Reunion it was still very meaningful, important and enjoyable to see everyone even if it was the short "hey, how are you?!" passing by! Sometimes you forget how meaningful family is until you are surround by them.

Nana, Great Grandma & the twins

Uncle David's Pig Roast

Family History

The kids had a great time:

Oh we made many a-stops along side of the road....................

Our Trip to Burns Lake, BC

We went to Burns Lake at the end of June beginning of July for a family reunion and my Grandma's 85th Birthday Celebration. The reunion was held just outside of Burns Lake actually at Beaver Point Resort on Tchesinkut Lake. Burns Lake is 900 and some odd kms from Mission so we broke the trip up by staying in 100 Mile House over night on the way and returning home.

View Larger Map

Hitting the Highway

On the way up we had to stop at 150 Mile House (just south of Williams Lake) for Andrew to look at some wood on a man's ranch. It was such a beautiful place I wish now I had taken some more pictures.

... To Be Continued

Happy 4th to All of my Amercian Friends!

Happy Birthday America!

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

The Farm in June

Oh, Ya! I forgot that we went to the "Farm" with Grandma in June!! The "Farm" is Maplewood Farm in North Vancouver. I would highly recommend it for a fun family outing! It is reasonably priced and there is something for everyone! The kids really enjoyed it. They found some of the animals loud (I guess having a goat "Maaa" right in your face is loud!) but enjoyed being able to get up close and personal with others such as the bunnies.

Smell my hand..

Hello are you awake? Are you alive?

Thanks Grandma for a fun afternoon!

Some Sun and More Rain

Well some of May and all of June left something to be desired as far as the weather goes! We did have those few days in May which were HOT and that was lovely! June was soon nicknamed "Juneuary" by most people and all people talked about was the crappy weather we were having! Here are a few pictures from those times ... backyard pool and playing at Grandma & Grandpa's at Cultus Lake.

Sunny Days in May

Rainy Days of June

Ahhhh, but it looks as though those days MIGHT be behind us now!! Hoorah!

Two Friends Under A Rainbow

by Maisie Ann 2 1/2 years old

The above title is what Maisie told me

this was a picture of!

Saturday at the Aquarium

We went to the Aquarium last Saturday for a morning filled with family fun! We have been there a couple/few times now and have learned to just pick one or two areas to visit rather than trying to do it all! So that's what we did and it was great! We always see something we haven't seen before which is cool. This time we decided to go to the Rain forest section. Once we had entered through those big glass doors the humidity and the warm warm air hit us and I proceeded to take Ambrose's fleece jacket off. While I was doing so, he says "I have to get outa here." "It's so stinky!" LOL! I nearly peed my pants laughing! I didn't even know he could smell!! He (nor Maisie) has ever said anything about smell before! Oh, I thought it was so funny! Anyway, we spent a great deal of time with the frogs as well because the kids are quite fond of them right now, especially Maisie. I tried to take some pictures while we were there, but I just couldn't get a good one! Either the flash was reflecting off the glass or the kids wouldn't stand still or something!

If you have the chance or want something to do with the family, or even if you don't have kids drop by the aquarium! It's fun!

Hello Sunny Day! And it's Friday to boot!

We are enjoying the sunshine today that is for sure! I believe it was snowing in 100 Mile House earlier this week and just yesterday when Andrew was up near Merrit for work it was snowing there! We have had some crummy weather lately, but I am thankful it is not snowing! Snow in May just seems wrong to me. Sorry to all of you who live in northern areas and are still experiencing the white stuff and the cold! I'll bet you'll cringe when I tell you our grass is green and we are mowing our lawns!

This morning we were out of the house by 8:40am and on our way to the playground! The sun was shining and it was actually warm! Love it!

Girls=Flowers Boys=Trucks

Our Friend Raven

We saw a Raven on our walk last Sunday and stopped to listen to it for a while. He was chatting with another bird nearby. I love listening to all the fascinating sounds they make! Here is some tidbit info on ravens:

Ravens have high intelligence and are perhaps the smartest birds. Their intelligence might be on par with wolves and some breeds of dog.

Ravens can mimic sounds from their environment, including human speech. They have a wide range of vocalizations. Fifteen to 30 categories of vocalization have been recorded for this species, most of which are used for social interaction. Calls recorded include alarm calls, chase calls, and flight calls. Non-vocal sounds produced by the Common Raven include wing whistles and bill snapping. Clapping or clicking has been observed more often in females than in males. If a member of a pair is lost, its mate reproduces the calls of its lost partner to encourage its return.

Drawings of a 2 year old

Maisie likes to draw. She did this one a little while ago now and I can't remember what she said it was? Maybe it was me!?

Finally Feels Like Spring

On Sunday we had a nice family outing to a local trail. We went to the Hayward Reservoir Trail and Steelhead Falls. The kids like to go the "forest" (as they call it) and Rocky (our dog) is was heaven with the freedom to run!
Ambrose was picking up rocks like they were the last ones ever to be found and by the end of the walk he was off the rocks an onto the sticks! He and Maisie were prentending to fish off the trail in the ferns and looking for bo-bo's or singing about bo-bo's ??? They talk about them alot these bo-bo's and we don't know what or who they are or what they do??

Everyone loves a hollow tree!
Steelhead Falls Waterfalls never look quite as pretty in pictures as they really are!

Resting little legs before climbing the big hill back to the truck.