Silly Cousins!

Last week I was babysitting Mckenna and we stopped by Krista's house for a few hours. Here are Holton and Mckenna having a snack.

Calaway Park!

A few weeks ago Cyril took a day off work so we could go to Calaway Park. It was our only trip there this year and Holton's first time. We all had so much fun! Here are a few pictures of our day.

Summer Vacation!

On the second week of July we went on a camping trip out to the Shuswap. We had a wonderful time with HOT and sunny weather. It was between 38-42C the whole 10 days we were there. We left on Thursday and drove to Golden where we camped for one night. The campground was right by the river so the girls had fun throwing rocks into the water. So did Holton! We even had cereal for dinner!

On Friday morning we drove the rest of the way to the Shuswap. We stayed at Pierre's Point campground which is just outside of Salmon Arm, BC. It is a great campground right on the lake. Our campsite was right beside the beach which was so much fun for the girls. The first 3 days we just played on the beach and swam in the lake. The girls loved it. Holton also enjoyed the water but mostly just played in the sand. We met some people from Vancouver who had two kids, a boy and a girl, the same age of Mateya and Jaidyn. They ended up playing together all week and had tons of fun together. They even took us out in their boat to go tubing. The girls had a blast! Cyril got to try wakeboarding but wasn't very successful. It took him many tries to get up and when he finally did he fell. Needless to say he was very sore the next day.

Rachelle, Matt, Tyler and Tobias were also in Salmon Arm visiting with some friends of theirs (Charlene and Mike) so we were able to get together with them several times. We met up with them one day at the beach. Char and Mike have a Seadoo so we got to try it out. It was lots of fun! Charlene took Rachelle and I out for a crazy ride and ended up tipping us over. As I fell off into the water, my leg got squished between Char and the Seadoo and I ended up with a huge bruise on my leg. I thought at first it was broken because I could barely move it but it turned out to be okay. I walked with a limp for the whole week (still limping a little) and even now it is still sore and the bruise is still there.

On the Friday before we left, we rented a boat with Matt and Rachelle. We had great fun spending the day boating and swimming out in the middle of the lake. Cyril tried wakeboarding again as well as Tyler. Cyril did much better this time and really enjoyed it. Tyler also loved it and did well. Late in the afternoon a storm rolled in. We had to sit and wait on the beach as we watched the dark clouds roll in and the wind really pick up. Luckily it didn't rain but it was a hour or two before we were able to go out in the boat again because of the wind and waves. Despite the weather we had a great day with the boat and look forward to someday maybe (or maybe not) getting a boat of our own. Cyril is so wanting to go wakeboarding again!

We packed up camp on Saturday and stopped to play mini golf and go-carting with Rachelle, Matt and Tyler before the drive home. It was very HOT but we had fun. Mini golfing was fun but Jaidyn and Mateya loved the go-carts. Jaidyn and Matt went together who beat Cyril and Mateya. The boys even let the girls take a turn driving on their own. It was fun watching them. After having some ice cream to cool off we said goodbye to Tyler, Rachelle, Tobi and Matt. We drove for a few hours until our next stop at the Enchanted Forest. This was definitely a highlight for the girls. It is a tourist stop just outside of Revelstoke, BC. It was so nice to walk through the forest and escape to fairytale land for a couple of hours. Holton loved the freedom to walk on his own and go into little houses that were just his size. Mateya and Jaidyn thought it was so fun to open all the little doors and go inside the houses of Snow White, Old Mother Hubbard, and the three little pigs as well as many others. They liked the 3 story treehouse the best! We had so much fun we will definitely stop by again the next time we pass through that way!

After our fun filled stop at the Enchanted Forest we drove for another hour or two to Canyon Hot Springs Campground where we stayed for our last night. After setting up we ate a late supper and went to bed. In the morning we packed up and then went for a swim at the hot springs. It was nice to get in the water again but not have to worry about the sand. The girls really enjoyed being in a pool and having the chance to swim with mommy and daddy. Holton loved the warm water but after about an hour he fell asleep in my arms so I laid him on some towels so we could swim for a little longer. After our swim it was finally time to head home. The drive seemed to go by quickly with everyone tired and sleeping most of the time( except for me, the driver, of course). We had so much fun on our holiday but it was really nice to get home!

Our Soccer Star!

Jaidyn played soccer this year for the first time. It was Monday and Wednesday nights during May and June. She had so much fun and did really well-she even scored twice in the first game. Playing goalie was her favorite. Jaidyn really enjoyed having daddy as the assistant coach and he enjoyed the time spent with her. Her team, the Dragons, did really well they only lost about 3 games. I think the highlight for her was receiving her "gold" medal. It is sad that is over but we are looking forward to the lazy days of summer.

Good job Jaidyn!

Holton Turns One!!

I can't believe a week has already gone by since Holton's birthday and I haven't even had a chance to post. Sorry Holton!We had our family and a few friends over to celebrate the big day. The plan was to have a backyard BBQ but the weather didn't cooperate so we were stuck indoors. We had burgers and salads and all sorts of other food. It was really yummy but we were all pretty stuffed. Holton missed his afternoon nap so he ended up sleeping through dinner which was okay because I actually got to eat my food while it was still warm. After he woke up he opened gifts and had birthday cake. Holton wasn't quite sure what it was all about but was excited about the trucks, the sparkler and candle on his cake. He also had fun eating his cake with the help of Jaidyn and Uncle Jason. He didn't even get very messy! It was a great party and I think Holton had lots of fun.

Thanks to mom for all your help and my sisters (yes you too Heather) for bringing salads. Also thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts. Holton is definately a lucky little boy!

Holton's First Haircut!

Last week I took Holton to Beaners to get his first haircut. He is almost one and hasn't had one yet...the girls both had several by the same age. His hair was hanging over his ears and driving Cyril and I crazy so I decided to finally get it cut. He did really well. He loved driving the jeep and watching all the other kids but was quite confused about what was going on. It's amazing how getting a little bit of hair cut can make him look so grown up!

Holton is Crawling!

Last week Holton finally started crawling. He has been getting around on his belly for a while, but couldn't quite figure out the crawling thing. He is also climbing the stairs and getting into the cupboards. It is so fun to see his progress and how much he learns each day although it means more work for me!

Cyril's brother Don and his fiance Abbi were in town this weekend for a visit. The girls had tons of fun playing with them. They got to go to the Children's Festival, see the movie Shrek 3, ride bikes and just play in our backyard. It was nice to be able to spend time with them even though it was very short. Congrats Don and Abbi on your engagement!

May Long Weekend

For the long weekend we went camping again to Mount Kidd. The weather was not very good again and we had everything from sun and clouds to rain and snow. We did have alot of fun despite the weather. We were able to fly kites, ride bikes, play at the park, make snowmen and go exploring. Rob and Theresa have a jumping castle that they set up for an hour and the kids had a blast. It was really funny to watch Jaidyn and Jaiden have a boxing and wrestling match! Cyril and Rob also set up the TV outside for them one night so they could play on the Wii and watch a movie. They thought it was pretty cool to watch movies outside! And yes we know, it's not really the kind of "camping" we grew up with!!

Our friends Rob and Theresa had both their parents come out for the day on Saturday. They asked us to join them on a drive to see the Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes. It was freezing so we didn't stay long, just long enough to take a few pictures. On the way back we stopped at Boulton Bridge, which was just a little rest area. The kids had fun throwing rocks into the creek and going on the bridge. Later when we got back, Mom, Sherilyn, Jay and Mckenna came out for a few hours to have dinner with us and visit. It started pouring rain so we were stuck in the trailer for a while but were able to roast marshmellows after it cleared up. It was fun to have them come and visit.

Camille also came for a visit and stayed overnight on Sat. The girls enjoyed playing and spending time with her. It was nice to see her again.

All in all it was another great weekend of camping. We had tons of fun but we do look forward to the summer when we will hopefully be able to turn on our air conditioning instead of our furnace!

Pulled Elbow!

So I just got home from 3 hours in the Children's Hospital emergency with Holton. Don't worry nothing too major just a dislocated elbow. He is doing fine now that it is all over but he has had quite the day.

Earlier today he fell and cut his lip and gums at Sherilyn's house. He bled quite a bit but nothing serious. Thanks Sherilyn for watching him today! We get home after picking up kids from school and then have to drive Cyril to meet up with his friends because they are heading out of town for a golf weekend. After I drop Cyril off Mateya, Jaidyn and I decided to go to Walmart to check out a few things and then get Chinese food for dinner. We weren't in the store more than 5 mins when it happened. Jaidyn was sitting in the bottom of the cart with Holton on her lap and I tried to move her backwards so she could lean back. Somehow I must of pulled Holton's arm or he was holding on to the cart and the next thing I know I hear a pop and he starts screaming. I knew instantly what was wrong because this has happened to both girls before. I tried to wiggle it a bit hoping it would pop back into place but had no such luck.

I took him to a Walk in Clinic a few minutes away and waited there for and hour before they told me they could do nothing and sent me to the Children's Hospital. By this time it was about 6:30 and none of us had eaten supper, I couldn't get a hold of my mom and none of my sisters were home. Jay said he could watch the girls while I took Holton (Sherilyn was at work) so I dropped them off with a slurpee and some chocolate bars. Thanks Jay for feeding them and babysitting!


Anyway, it was a long night for me and my poor little Holton. I hope the rest of the weekend goes more smoothly while Cyril is away otherwise it will be a very long weekend!

Camping in April!

This past weekend we went on our first camping trip with our new trailer. We went to Mount Kidd in the Kananaskis with some friends Rob and Theresa and their 2 boys Jaiden and Lucas. They also had some friends camping there at another site (Ray, Lisa, Brandon, Makayla and Kaitlyn).

We all had a great time despite the weather which didn't coopertate very well. It rained all night on our first night but cleared up in the morning. The kids spent the day riding bikes and playing together. They all had so much fun and really enjoyed being outside even though it was quite chilly. I think one of the highlights for them was the walk to the candy store and arcade.

We spent alot of our time by the fire and roasted many marshmellows. We also had some friends drive out from Calgary to visit for a few hours. It was nice to visit with Mike and Tanya and their baby Brandon.

On Sunday morning we woke up to quite a surprise. It snowed a couple of inches overnight! We really didn't expect it because when we went to bed around midnight it seemed warmer and the sky was clear. We should have known better because it's only April and we were in the mountains! Anyway, the girls really enjoyed our trip and love our trailer and so do I. No more freezing in the middle of the night on a trip to a stinky outhouse! We can't wait until our next trip possibly in May.