So, it's been a year since our last post and that seems like a long time. However, considering how busy we have been during this year, it actually seems like last week. What have we been up to you ask? A lot! I may need to do a recap post for 2012 to catch you up. In the meantime, here is our beautiful family and this years Christmas Card 2012. The kids are excited!

Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas 2011!

Summer is almost over

We have had a very exciting month!

Matt and I have been talking about taking the kids on a trip for a while now. We originally wanted to go to California for a week. Caleigh is really into Princesses and most of the other Disney characters, and has been asking to go to Mickey's house for a while. Unfortunately, when we started planning our vacation it just wasn't working out. We couldn't find a hotel that worked, and it was getting more complicated that I was hoping. That's when we found a seat sale to Puerto Vallarta. We talked about it for a few weeks, and I did so much research, that we finally decided that we were going to book! We chose a Riu resort, as I had stayed at this resort a few years ago, and Matt and I both really enjoy the Riu chain. About a week after we booked our vacation, Matt realized that we booked for the same week as a conference Matt was planning. I immediately called the travel agent, and she said that there wasn't any other availability for that resort for our dates. She did say that there was a flight the week earlier to Playa del Carmen. Rather than lose our money, we immediately booked a week at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo. We are so excited! The resort looks perfect for the kids, and I can't wait to get there!

Matt got to go on a float fishing trip down the bow with some friends this month. He had a really good time, and caught quite a few fish!

Caleigh is taking gymnastics at the YMCA this fall with Macy. She is really having a good time, and the class is non-parented so I get to have a good visit with Jane while the girls practice their tumbling! She is learning summersaults, bouncing on the trampoline, and navigating through the obsticle course.

Both of the kids are also taking swimming lessons at Cardel Place on Sunday mornings. It is Miller's first set of lessons, and he really seems to be enjoying the pool. It is Caleigh's first set of non-parented swimming lessons, and she is doing so well - I'm really proud of her! We have been taking the kids swimming about once a week at Southland Leisure centre for a while now, and I think it has been really beneficial.

Matt has been really busy with work lately. He was promoted to the head of Western Canada, so this new position involves quite a bit more travel. In addition to all of Alberta, he had travelled to Saskatoon (we went with him!) and he is currently in Vancouver. He comes home on friday, but leaves again on Sunday to Halifax for a week for his national sales meetings. He gets back 2 days before we leave for Mexico! Once we get back, he has about 4 days until he had to be in Edmonton for the week for the surgical conference he has been planning. I'm very proud of him for working so hard, but we really miss him around here! My mom is coming to stay with me and the kids while he is in Vancouver, and I think we might go to Saskatoon while he is Edmonton for the week.

So I got a very exciting email this week. I entered a draw for a free trip through our travel agency, and I won! I won an all-expense paid trip for 2 to Cabo San Lucas for a week! We have to travel before July 31, 2012 but that is the only stipulation! I think Matt and I might go in April or May of next year, we are jsut waiting to find out when Grandma is available to babysit!

See you after Mexico!
J&M&C&M&M

Ups and Downs

We had a great time at the lake this year! I even skiied this year! I don't think I've skiied for about 10+ years, so I was pretty proud of myself. We celebrated Caleigh's, my, and moms birthdays up at teh lake. I hope this is a tradition that we wil continue. Matt was able to get quite a bit of skiing in, as well as fishing. We went to the petting zoo (farm?) with the kids, and they got to jump on the trampolines. Caleigh and Miller both went for rides on the tubes, and we tried to get Cal up on the orange board, but she just wasn't ready. We will try again next year though.

We got a phone call early on August 5th from Matt's dad letting us know that Matt's grandma, Lillian Carswell, had passed away. Matt was very, very close with his grandma so it was really hard for him. Matt had the opportunity to live with her for his final year of high school. We are very thankful that we were able to visit with her in June and that she was able to meet Miller. She lived a great life, and she will be missed dearly.

Matt's dear friend Ryan's dad was diagnosed with cancer last summer. When we were in Medicine Hat for Grandma's funeral, Daryl took a turn for the worse. About a week after we got home, Daryl passed away. We immediately went down to Medicine Hat to give them a hand with the kids and anything else they needed. Andy, Nat, Matt and I took their two boys, so we ended up with 6 kids under 4! They were all so well behaved though, it was great. We went watersliding at the Medicine Hat Lodge, and out to Echo Dale park for a little fun in the sun. It was really sad to watch Ryan and Elyse go through so much, but I was glad that we were able to go down to help.

We ahve been enjoying our backyard so much this summer. The swingset was a huge addition, and we have really enjoyed our garden, although I'm not sure why our herb garden was such a failure. I don't think Caleigh's corn or squash was actually produce, but it was fun to have her be such a big help. We see her and Macy out in the yard eating peas and beans straight from the garden all the time, which is such a great summer snack! I'm glad we went to the effort to plant the garden, and we will definitely be planting another one next year!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer,
J&M&C&M&M

Emma Lake - Our Second Home!

We were up at the lake again at the beginning of this month, and we have another trip planned with the whole family for the end of July/beginning of August. We just can't seem to get enough! The lake is always really busy on long weekends, but it jsut means we go skiing and boarding after supper instead of mid-afternoon. Matt ahs been spending most early, early mornings with our neighbour Blaine fishing. He really seems to enjoy it, and they really get along. It is nice for Matt to have someone to go fishing with! They had a huge storm at the lake this month. Grapefruit sized hail and tornado winds have caused some severe damage to teh area. Many cabins were destroyed, trailers demolished, and trees up-rooted. The power was out for many days, so we lost all of the food that was in the fridge, but no damage to the cabin - we were very lucky!

We have been spending quite a bit of time with our neighbours. We have had both Mark and Lindy, as well as Russel and Jane over for dinner this month. We love having friends for neighbours, and it is really nice to live so close to such great people. Jane is currently on maternity leave as well, so it is nice ot have a friend that is around during the day!

We had a birthday party for Caleigh and her friends on July 16th. We filled up the pool, and got the yard ready for a dozen kids and their parents. We had mini burgers, and a sundae bar instead of cake. The kids got a scoop of ice cream, and we put out about 20 different toppings for them to make their own sundae. They loved it! Cal had a great time, and it was really nice to celebrate her birthday this year with all of her friends. We also had Nana Norah and Papa over for cupcakes one night, it was nice that they were able to come in to celebrate with her before we left for the lake again.

This summer is going so fabulously, and we're only half-way done!
M&J&C&M&M

Let the summer begin!

Summer is finally here! We have had so much rain this year, but the last couple days have been beautiful! The sun is shining and we have been able to spend so much time outside.

Matt and Ty had an opportunity to go to the U2 concert in Edmonton on June 1. They had a great time and I guess the concert was really good.

The first weekend of June we all packed up and drove to Saskatoon. The weather was beautiful and we really wanted to go up to the lake, but both Matt and I were very nervous about driving on that highway again. We decided that we really needed to face our fears. Matt drove up with dad, and I drove up with mom and the kids. They are currently dividing the highway, which is a hug relief. I think that highway will always bring back some bad memories for us, but we love it up at the lake so much, were not going to let our fears get in the way.

Miller went for his first boat ride...and first boat nap! He loved having his little naps in the boat and on the beach. Uncle Shane, Uncle devin, Auntie Angie and Ashton came out to the lake too. We had a great time catching up with everyone. Matt, Shane and Dad spent the majority of the time trying to get the satelite to work, and they were eventually successful!

We took a little day trip to Banff this month. We went for a walk and did a little shopping. Caleigh loved the waterfalls and her and Matt climbed a staircase to get a better view. Cal loved the mountains, and was so happy to be there. She was absolutely convinced that Mickey Mouse lives in the Banff Springs Hotel. We even had to drive to the hotel to prove that Mickey wasn't there! She loved watching the horses walk up and down Banff Avenue and really wanted to go for a ride. By the time we gave in and said yes, the horses were on a 'break'. She was so upset when we told her that we had to leave without going for a ride. Maybe next time....

Caleigh has been spending quite a bit of time in the yard this year. She loves playing on the new swingset that Grandma and Grandpa bought. The hilight of her day is definitely the ice cream truck. Everytime she hears the music, she runs inside and grabs her piggy bank. So cute! She has also been spending quite a bit of time with her new friend Macy. The play in the yard almost every day, but they also love playing dress up. Cal got a trunk of princess dresses and jewellery and it keeps the girls entertained for hours!

Miller started rolling over this month! He can only roll from his stomach to his back, but he is so proud of himself! He is becoming a really good eater, and loves his bottle. He also got his first two teeth this month. It was a little suprising for me, I wasn't expecting him to get teeth so soon! He is sleeping through the night (most of the time) which is a huge treat for both Matt and I!

Hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying the great weather!
J&M&C&M&M

Time Flies....

I can't believe its almost June!


Things around here have been really busy lately. I will try to keep this short and sweet!

Caleigh has been growing up so quickly. She is so funny, and is really starting to outsmart her parents! Her vocabulary is really growing, and she is putting sentences together really well. She can count to 10, and she is working on her colors (yellow is definately her favorite!). We got her a swing set (WING set according to her - she gets really upset if we call it a SWING set) and she is loving it. Her and Molly spend hours outside in the yard, and she has many little friends in the neighbourhood that stop by for a play. She still enjoys going to Mitchi's house twice a week, and is learning so many things there. Mitchi has been such a great influence on her. She is very excited to start school, so I am going to try to find a play school for her in the fall.

Miller is growing like a weed. I can't believe he is already 4 months old. He started eating rice cereal, and I just gave him some squash today for the first time. He loves it! He will scream and cry if I walk away while he's eating - this little guy sure has an appetite! He is laughing and talking up a storm. He really shines after his sister goes to bed, I think he likes having mom and dad to himself. He is not quite sleeping through the night yet, but he is only getting up once now which is nice. He is a very happy little guy, and such a cuddler! He is happiest if he can curl up in mom's neck for a little love! He has had a low grade fever for the last few days, drooling everywhere, and always has his hand in his mouth - I think he might be teething! I said this about Caleigh for about 6 months before a tooth actually showed up though, so I'm not going to get my hopes up until I actually see a tooth!

Matt has been really busy with work lately. He has really increased the business in his territory, and is getting so many requests. He is heading to Edmonton with Ty this week to go to the U2 concert. I was supposed to be going with him but we weren't able to find anyone to watch the kids. I am really disappointed - I think this concert will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We bought the tickets 2 years ago and I have been looking forward to going since then.

I am still going to physio twice a week. It is really helping me improve, but I was really disappointed to find out that a couple of my symptoms will be permanent. I was so hopeful of a full recovery, but at least I'm improving. I was finally able to get into the Brain Injury clinic last week. They think that there is a little bit of a concussion remaining which is causing many of the symptoms that I'm still dealing with. They are very hopeful that I will continue to improve, and that a full recovery may be possible.

Matt and I both joined the GoodLife Fitness by our house. It is a really great gym, and they even have childcare. Matt and I took the kids there this morning and were able to work out together for an hour. It was really nice to spend some time with him without the kids. I'm hoping that will be one of the driving forces that keeps us going! I have a personal trainer that I meet with twice a week, and I'm really looking forward to attending a few of their many classes that they offer every week.

Hope everyone is having a good summer!
Love all,
J&M&C&M&M