Santa Baby

What is Addison's favourite Christmas carol right now?.....well its not O Holy Night, Little Drummer Boy or something meaningful like Silent Night......neither is it Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer. My silly willy girls favourite Christmas carol is, yep you guessed it Santa Baby by Marilyn Monroe!!! Does that make me a bad mom!?! lol! Is that even appropriate!?! Either way it gets stuck in both Addison's and my head.....well the chorus does anyways. And it is the cutest thing I have heard, listening as she walks around the house singing "Santa baby hurry Addison's chimney tonight"

The weekend before last we were at the mall and Santa was in his chair. I pointed him out to Addy as we walked past, and was quite curious to see her reaction. Well Miss Addy got the biggest smile on her face, started waving like her life depended on it and in the loudest sweetest sing song voice she said "HI SANTA!" over and over and over again :) Whats so funny about this is that Riley is terrified of Santa. She was mortified and was doing her best to hide behind Howard! You could see the wheels turning in her head......"Why is Addison doing that! Oh gosh don't let him notice me! If he notices me I might puke! Oh Dad please save me! Get me outta here!" All years prior to this we could not even walk past centre court without Riley getting really upset! So this was a huge step for her! Needless to say we didn't do pictures with the Jolly fellow. And if you ask Addison if she wants to sit on his knee for a picture she shakes her head adamantly and says "No! Santa sit on Addison's knee!" Now that would be a picture to see :)

A Sweet Sunday

Today was one of those days that so rarely happen when you have 4 kids. Our morning went so smoothly, we made it to church on time and then both the girls went to their classes and stayed the whole service! This is the second sermon I have been able to listen to since June! So I was very grateful that Addison was happy to stay for her second time by herself! She had fun, and hardly wanted to leave when the service was over :)

Right now both the boys are at friends houses. Riley and I have just finished making a batch of buns and the pot roast is in the oven for supper. Addison awoke from her nap with smiles and giggles and the girls are playing "kitchen."

We have had another mini dump of snow so its a perfect day to stay inside and cuddle up with some tea and a good book while we wait for dinner to be ready. This is what I envisioned when I first started having kids......enjoying, teaching and relishing in them and their little ways. To consider it a honor and not a job to help and provide for them. Sometimes that all gets lost in the running around and getting things done. When days come along like this it reminds me of how blessed I am to be these kids Mom!

Smile!?!

O.k. so I said "SMILE" and this is what I got!!! Ha! This little munchkin sure makes me laugh! She is so cheeky and such a ham! If she gets one little giggle out of any of us, she is really hamming it up, so she can turn that giggle into full on laughter!

Also I know I said I would take some pictures of the tree, however the stinkin bloody cat keeps climbing into the darn tree and knocking out Christmas ornaments!!!! Hence the "holes" in my tree! That cat may just turn into a hat!!! I am totally kidding! Well not about him climbing the tree....just the hat part! We love you Bluey! Even if you wreck my special tree :)

Things are busy around here, Howard is back to his crazy work schedule I think by Sunday this week he will have worked 90 hrs in 7 days.....does that mean he gets next week off? Nope! He gets to do it all over again until Christmas Eve! Well thats what he has warned me. How am I feeling about it? We won't go there tonight!!! This too shall pass. Im Thankful he has a job he loves, and dreaming of a Carribean vacation this Spring (hopefully)

We are ramping up for our Holiday traditions, and I am still working on the whole advent calendar activity idea.....I have plenty of ideas, however I need to remain realistic with what we can do on weekdays and how much energy I will have with Howard gone so much. I know I may have to let some things go....however there are traditions and activities I really don't want to give up. I really hope my kids to remember the holidays and some of our traditions when they are adults, although I don't want them to recall their Mom being some frazzled stressed out freak because she wasn't realistic! And bit off more than she could chew! lol! I guess I will have to have it all figured out by December 1st!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American Friends!

Addy's first play in the snow

So this picture is just as we stepped outside, Addison thought it was quite fun, and I was outside to shovel the walkways and driveway, so she felt safe. Addy was quite happy to run around for the first few minutes......

Hmmmm this was Addy about 15 minutes after we came outside! It was only about -10C (14F) however that was too much for our little miss :)

Then today we woke up and started getting the boys ready for school, and I noticed our furnace was running alot. So I decided to quickly check the current temperature.....well at 8AM it was -30C feels like -39C with the windchill!!! For my American friends with the windchill it was -38.2 Fahrenheit!!!! That is when I started asking myself why the heck do we live here!?! Really I mean I had running around to do this morning.....that is obviously postponed for another day! And hauling Nates wheelchair out at the school......well we won't even go there! On these days I certainly miss living on Vancouver Island, I even miss the constant rain, wind and grey when its this cold! Luckily I was able to drop Nate off at the jr high doors, Josh off by his portable and the girls and I headed home. So I didn't have to haul Addison out in this ridiculous weather! We are looking forward to the high of zero they are calling for later in the week :) I know Howard certainly is, because he is working outside in this! Here's hoping that you, my friends are all warm and cozy!

12 Years

12 years ago today, Howard and I chose each other and were married. It seems like just yesterday that we were newly weds. Sigh, how the years seem to fly by!

I am so ridiculously blessed! I may not blog about Howard all that often, but I certainly won the prize when he chose me to be his wife. Howard is the most patient and selfless person I have ever met, I can't think of a time when he has ever put himself before those he cares about. He treats me like a queen, and I have to say I hardly deserve it! We are bestfriends and he is my most favourite person in the whole wide world.

Marriage isn't always easy, it is certainly about choices. Choosing to love and put someones needs above your own, choosing to stay when things are tough, choosing to compromise when you really don't want to and choosing to make lemonade with lemons instead of dwell in the negative.

Howard I chose you 12 years ago......and yet still today, I choose you! I am honored to be called your wife, and grateful that you are my bestfriend. Thanks for being you, the man the I love and cherish. The father of our children, our provider and my confidant. I can't even imagine what life would be like without you. Here's to another 60 years of choosing each other :)

Show Hope Short Term Trips

I was so excited to get an email about Show Hopes short term mission trips! I hope that within the next 2 years Howard or I and the boys can go over to China and make a difference. Check out the video....who knows maybe God is whispering for you to show a special child some hope!?!

But Baby its Cold Outside!

So the weather man keeps saying its going to get cold tomorrow, and snow....and then we wake up and its still mild! So Addison and I decided instead of exercising in the basement, we would get out and take advantage of this mild weather. Well I consider it mild, Addy she just thinks Im nutso for bringing her out in the frigid morning :) I have said it before, and will probably say it again.....I don't know how she is going to survive our Canadian winters! She hates even the tiniest hint of cool! I am sure we will be layering and bundling our little Hubei Honey!

This is the "lake" in our subdivision. I always get a kick out of what they call a lake in Alberta! To me this is a pond. I guess being raised on Vancouver Island has spoiled me a bit! It is starting to freeze over.

Oh! There is that tongue again! Jill I don't think its chapped lips.....I think its just sauciness:)

Oh how my sweet little girl makes me smile and laugh!

Lets just say when we got home Addison was VERY happy to cuddle up in my lap and sip on a hot chocolate! She was such a trooper though. And enjoyed the fresh air even though it was a little cold for her liking.

Oh Christmas tree

Ok seriously what is with the tongue!?! That is the new thing at our house! I can't remember the last time Addison didn't have her tongue sticking out :)

Addison had fun helping decorate the upstairs tree. And if I am being honest and keeping it real; This year was not what past years have been......with Riley being so sick. And lets be honest crabby (not that I blame her), Josh was really really hyper and Nathan just wanted to go to his cave (his bedroom in the basement) I was feeling a little disappointed in our decorating day. And really only got a couple pictures of Addison during the process. Oh well once December hits we'll get a fresh tree for the family room and the kids can go wild with it, and maybe just maybe everyone else will be up for the fun :)

I think the highlight of the evening was when Riley brought out an animated dancing Santa and she and Josh had Addy dancing around the house. It was quite the show! My Mom, Howard and I had a good laugh at their "fancy" moves!

My Mom has now gone back home, and its just us here at home. We are falling back into our routine sans Grandma and we all miss her a bit. I will post some pictures of the tree in a couple days once I am finished with it :) I am looking forward to a week of house cleaning and Christmas shopping. I am also looking for a way our whole family can serve this holiday season....if any of you who follow have some great ideas for a family with kids between the ages of 2-11yrs old, they would be greatly appreciated. Another idea I have been toying around with is doing a holiday activity advent calendar. Where each day would have an activity, not a chocolate. Some of the ideas I have come up with were build a gingerbread house, go ice skating, experience Bethlehem live, build a holiday puzzle, make snowman pizzas etc. I think it would be a fun way of really connecting as a family and creating some more holiday memories. The more I think about this project the more I like it :) And I think it would be fun to blog each day! Whoa! That might be signing up for alot! lol! Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

I know its early but......

This weekend is the weekend we set up the Christmas decorations!!! Yay! I love this time of year. And many of you may think I am CRAZY! However if I don't do it this weekend we just get too darn busy with the seasons festivities and merriment. We (I) like to enjoy the process and take my time enjoying the kids reactions and memories of Christmas past. We always have "finger foods" and Josh makes his extra special secret peppermint hot chocolate. My Mom is here and so she gets to partake as well.....and yes she thinks we (me) are a little nutty :) This year will be the first year we have 2 trees, one in the sitting room and one for the kids downstairs. I am really looking forward to the "Mom" tree as I have been collecting trinkets for the sitting room tree for a couple weeks now :) I will post pictures in a couple days, and really hope it turns out how I am picturing it in my head. I am so looking forward to Addy's first Christmas at home! She is learning all about Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus and of course the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ!

I know I have been absent from this little blog, yet again. However my lil Miss Riley-roo had a rip roaring ear infection and it came to a head last night when her eardrum burst....poor little angel! We are blessed to have a wonderful doctor who does after hours calls and he fixed her up with some antibiotics and she is now on the mend. So hopefully I'll be back to regular posting!

My Cup Overflows

One of the first pictures we saw of Addison in April.

Addison in October.

I have been pondering many things in this last week....like why my family has been so blessed? God chose this sweet little Addison for us and He knew she was the perfect fit for our family! As I checked on her tonight as she slept, I felt as though my heart would burst with all the love I have for my sweet little girl. I thought of all the changes Addison has experienced in these last (almost) 4 months. And tried to place myself in her shoes.... two years old passed off to complete strangers that look different, speak a completely different language and I have no way of knowing if I can trust them not to harm me! My heart aches to think of the turmoil she has gone through and will continue to go through as she truly learns to trust Howard and I. Also I am thankful that Howard and I are not doing this alone and can rely on a loving, powerful and all knowing God to lead us as we parent not only Addison but all our children. Trusting He loves them even more than I could! As I look back at some of the referral photos of Addison I see that she now looks healthier and seems to have a light in her eyes, that just wasn't there before. We see her opening up and trusting us more as she comes to acknowledge and accept our daily routine, she seems to really love our weekday schedule she knows what comes next and now quite often keeps me on track :) I love her more than words can explain she is so very precious to me. I am so grateful that God whispered to us, and we chose to listen, obey, and not make excuses out fear of the unknown. Addison fills a hole in our family we didn't know even existed! I think I will forever be amazed by how God still speaks to us even in this day and age!

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by annointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Psalms 23:5

Addison's First Halloween at Home!

This Halloween was a little crazy around here! Somehow I agreed to organizing a 2.5 - 5yr old costume party at our church on Sunday with penny carnival games, crafts, photos of the kids in their costumes, cookie decorating and supper! We all had fun serving and the last of our attendees left by 5:15Pm. We rushed home to put some warm clothes under the kids costumes and get a quick picture and then the kids were off and running/wheeling to our neighbors homes. As you can see from the pictures below the girls were a little distracted by the other kids in our cul de sac.

Addison figured trick or treating was the best thing ever invented! And would quietly say "trick or treat for candy!" at each door. It was way too cute:) We also trick or treated with Trina and her 4 kids......I missed it but apparently a young Mom of one toddler looked a little astonished by our 8 kids and she kept on counting trying to figure out whose kids were whose! Trina and I had a good little chuckle about that! We are so very grateful that it was +10C and there was no rain! Yay! It maybe the first Halloween ever in GP without snow or freezing rain! lol! Nathan was frustrated that he couldn't keep up with older kids but was happy stick with Addison:)

Enjoy the pictures below Nathan was an Ipod, Josh a Ninja, Riley a princess and Addison was a fairy princess.