Our sweet girl is three

It just seems like the other day that Mari flew into our life. And suddenly she is three. Wow!

I think my favourite thing about Mari is that I'll hear a big bang and look in its direction to find Mari standing there shocked. She quickly says, "Wasn't me." Or, "It was Ganna's fault (or Bonna's fault - depending on who happens to be within her site.)"

Kooky little girl.

Tenth Anniversary

It is our anniversary today. Ten years ago today Wes and I tied the knot. Regrets? Nope.

I love my guy. I love his crazy optimistic, artistic, stubborn ways - even if they lead us down strange paths. Wes is, in short, a good man. Together we are working on building a life. A life, hopefully built of faith and love.

We have three wonderful children. Who all act just like their father when they misbehave.

I may not always feel comfortable in my life, but I am truly thankful for everything the Lord has done for me. He has blessed me in wonderful ways. I count among my greatest blessings my husband.

Sentimental enough?

To piano and back

October is Davis month

Wes and I got married in October.

Two of our three children were born in October.

We brought Bronwyn home for the first time in October (well the day before October).

Bronwyn's third surgery was the beginning of October (again just before but the recover was in October).

I love the smell of the leaves. I love the colours. October always feels like a new beginning. A fresh start.

I love it.

It has been a while

I realized it has been a while since I last posted. September has been a blur of activities, appointments, crazy new endeavours and regular family stuff. Not sure I can keep this pace up all winter, so wish me luck on that one.

Wes is proceeding with the house and the weather has been (cross our fingers and pray for continuance) in our favour. Dry and warm.

The kids are busy, in fact tonight they were down right warn out. Early to bed, is what Mamma decided.

Me, well, I wasn't very well on the weekend, not sure what it was, maybe a massive panic attack, maybe hormones, maybe...

But all is right with our world at this moment and that is sufficient.

Davis weekend

We had a busy weekend. Oddly enough we worked on our house this weekend. Not sure how it happened but I'll take it!

Wes had the fellow who is removing all the excess fill and dirt from the property in Wildwood bring a load to our house. We have these huge flower beds Wes constructed earlier this summer and since in some places they are over 2 feet deep I didn't want it to be filled with expensive topsoil. So we had a mound of dirt to move around.

Thankfully Dad has a tractor. He helped us with the moving. The kids were most upset that we moved their big dirt mountain. Not in their plan. In fact, after the fellow dropped the load the kids busted out of the house to play on the mound for quite some time. Dinner was late that night. The next day the neighbour kids came and joined ours. Apparently a big pile of dirt makes you very popular. After the dirt play they squeezed in some time for crab apple picking and snack time. My kids had picked crab apples the evening before and they were eager to share their extensive knowledge.

We also had one of our Sunday potluck get togethers and had the neighbours over for a barbeque. Crazy busy weekend. But a lot of fun.

Wes managed to find some free top soil on Kijiji and made a couple trips. Which means I can actual start doing some planting. This was all work that I was afraid wouldn't happen thanks to the new house venture. So I am very tickled with all this progress. We might not be the worst looking house on the block forever - yeah!

School mornings

Mari has been pretty choked lately. It seems life is exciting and busy for... everyone else. She throws a fit when I get Bronwyn ready for ballet. I have to let her dress in Bronwyn's old shoes and outfit to make her happy. I thought, last week, that she'd like to come watch the girls. But that was a disaster. She was having none of this watching business. She wants to be IN the class.

This morning I was running Gavin over to the neighbors as it was their turn to drive the boys to school and Mari insisted on coming with me.

In some ways being the youngest is hard work. Hang on baby girl, your turn will come, soon.

Davis family adventures

Life just doesn't seem to be slowing down. The kids are busy with school. In fact, Gavin was sick on the weekend so I kept him home today but he must go tomorrow. It is picture day and we must commemorate grade two even if he looks washed out and miserable!

Wes' new adventure has us all hopping. He has purchased a house to fix up and sell. I'm a ball of nerves to say the least. Our Irish friend Shaun helped him take down two huge spruce trees on the weekend. Shaun had a landscape company in Ireland so he knew a fair bit more than Wes, such a relief for me. There were a few mishaps but there was no serious damage or injury - again Whew!

I've been busy making phone calls and getting things sorted out today. Wes almost has the plans ready, he hopes to take them in tomorrow for approval. We are getting closer to really getting moving.

I'll be keeping a blog for Wes on the adventures of this new little house. If you wish to follow along here is the link - Rehab this House.

I have big plans here too. I want to make some head way at home. Get a bit more done on our front yard project. Get some dirt for my back garden (I was promised this in the spring - not to sound bitter or anything). I want to put some curtains up in our room and maybe even, and I can't believe I'm saying this, hang a picture or two. In fact, there are boxes I have never unpacked under my bed. So maybe even find homes for that stuff. But, I expect even though I may draw up lists and make detailed plans my projects will end up at the bottom of the pile. That is where they always end up.

I am so excited for Wes, this is something he has wanted to do for a long time. I am confident he will do a super great job. And he promised me when its finished he will do some of my projects. Hmmm - we will see.

The fall is always a time for new starts and new adventures. It is also my favourite time of year. Bring it on!!

Return of the routine

The Davis house is busy getting back into the swing of fall. School days. Piano lessons. Ballet. Potty training Mari (that's likely only going to happen this fall). Wes busy with a soon to be new venture. Me running behind everyone trying to keep up.

The kids are quite happy but very tired. The new rigorous schedule has made them a bit tired and a bit cranky, but I expect this won't last for long.

Bronwyn had a check up today, with our new doctor. Our previous family doctor has changed direction and has reduced his practice. So we are now seeing a young good looking South African doctor who juggles (he gave the kids a bit of a demo). I think the girls think it was a trade up. So far he seems pretty thorough and he showed by his questions that he actually read through Bronwyn's chart and history. Id rather not be breaking in another doctor, it is comfortable to stay with a doctor who understands you and your family, but here we are and I hope it will be an easy process.

Don't plan on visiting me in the next little while. I have decided to temporarily stop cleaning my house. I wont ignore it forever, just on strike for a while.

We are busy and mostly happy and we hope and pray that you are too.

First day of school

We got Gavin off to school for his first day of grade two. He was very nervous but brave.

Bronwyn had to wait until after lunch. She was so excited. She kept asking me to give her lunch so she could get going. She is so impressed with herself, she feels such a big girl. Mommy is managing too, barely.

When we dropped Bronwyn off all the students lined up. After a couple seconds I looked around there was Mari in the middle of them back against the school wall, ready to go. She was most upset when I forcibly moved her from her spot.

It is my hope that today is a big success for both of my kids. Regardless of what happens we are pretty darn proud of our little munchkins.

Catch up

We have been very busy. Gerrie and Elaine came for a visit. The kids had a lemonade stand among many other adventures. And that was the end of our summer break. Sigh!

Maybe because I'm 40

I got myself an ipod for my birthday. And to my surprise I brought it home opened it up and it didn't have a manual of any kind. No operating instructions. So I had no choice. I had to hand it to my six year old and ask him to show me how to work it.

So I'm now 40

Today is my birthday. I'm 40.

Not sure what that means. Doesn't upset me at all. Age never bothered me. I don't feel as though I have wasted my time on the earth thus far. Although, catch me most days and I'd scream that I never get anything accomplished, but in the big picture I know those things are usually not terribly important.

I looked in the mirror, trying to decide if I am old enough to have to start wearing makeup. I always felt like young women shouldn't wear makeup since they really don't need it. The bags under my eyes would make me think its time, but maybe that is just the sleep deprivation that comes with having kids at the age of 40. Maybe 50 is the makeup cut off.

My parents are making a lovely lamb roast for dinner. Jon came (Cindy and kids are away) and Wes is on his way out too. Makes for a pretty special evening. I love lamb.

A friend emailed and said she wants a report on what I plan to achieve in this next year, being a momentous year and all. Hmmmm. I always have plans, but I'm not much to stick to a strict schedule. If I was being married to Wes has beaten that out of me. So, shoes for school, ballet shoes for Bronwyn, a new bike for Gavin... these are on the list of to dos. And I have already accomplished two of the three today.

One thing I have learned - set the bar low and you will be more likely to achieve it. Not sure that is the kind of life lesson I should be sharing.

I don't have particularly deep thoughts on this Big day. Guess I'm happy I made it to 40. I'm excited to see what is next in life.

Time to eat? MMMmmmm.

A few pictures

Here is the birthday girl and a picture of the cake. Bronwyn was very specific that she wanted a pink cake with a crown on top. Because it was pretty simple I decided to try using fondant. I bought it - didn't feel up to trying to make it. Don't look to closely. It worked but fondant is likely a more technically demanding icing than I should use, so my inexperience shows BIG TIME.

Bronwyn had her yearly cardiology appointment this morning and she is doing... AMAZING. We are so so so blessed. Dr. Harder said she is the most amazing case of HLHS that she has followed. We are thrilled by her success and are keenly aware of how much worse our lot "should" be.

Gavin is busy playing Mario, he is still in his pajamas. I was hoping to have him go play with one of our neighbors this afternoon since he asked to do that yesterday, but he seems unwilling to get dressed. So there you are.

Mari is (and I'm crossing my fingers as I type this) hopefully having a nap. She doesn't always nap lately. But she can't make it without one, so it makes for a messy late afternoon nap. Seems every kid goes through this. She also does something most other kids do - "Why?" ALL THE TIME.

I frustrated her the other day. I was putting her in the car and she wanted to do her belt and I said, No its too hard. She asked, Why? I said, Because. She said, No me. So I said, Why? She looked up and said, Huh? I said, Why? She replied, Why? I said, Yeah, Why? She said, No. I said, Why? She said, No you why, me why.

The summer is unfortunately winding down and I am starting to make lists of all the things I need to do for school and all the other activities. A rather long list. The one thing about making lists is that if you have no ability to make them happen they just frustrate you. Hmmmph.

Bronwyn turns five

So our wee girl Bronwyn is five today. I will post some pictures when I get the chance. She was very excited and had in her words, "the best birthday ever."

I can't help but take a trip down memory lane on my kid's birthdays. I am always stunned at how much they have changed and grown.

I guess the visit to the past is a bit more emotional for me when it is Bronwyn's birthday. So much of what has become 'our journey' as a family dates back to her arrival. It is hard not to be quite sentimental about it. In fact, there was a time when I didn't dare think about whether she would even make it to her fifth birthday; let alone be starting kindergarten in a normal school as a normal kid.

I can't take this kind of a trip down the roads of our past without being very aware of the hand of God in our lives. Have we struggled? Yes. Has it been hard? Yes (frankly, harder than it has looked) Has God provided? YES. Every time we have needed him, maybe not in the way we expected, maybe not when we expected, but Yes he has, and our cup has run over too.

It is hard to explain, just as it would be hard to put words to your own journey. We could swap details about our individual stories, but the real value in life and living it is in all the bits that fall between the cracks. The way your soul and heart change through trials. I guess what I can say is that I am today a richer person than I was five years ago.

God has blessed us. We are thankful. I wish in a way I could go back into the past and tell my former self that everything will be OK and that she will be a beautiful five year old one day. But then the journey wouldn't have been quite the same. So I look to the future with wonder and hope.

God bless and keep our lovely sweet girls and our best boy.

Tired out

The kids started their swimming lessons yesterday. I was able to book a class for Bronwyn and one for Gavin both at the same time, but it is a bit on the early side. It has worked out great as one of the mom's from a couple streets over has her boys at the same time so I have someone to chat with. Her son is in Gavin's class in fact - very nice coincidence!

I love Southland Leisure Centre, they let Mari splash around in the kiddie pool while her siblings are in lessons. So she gets to have a swim time too. I have to follow her around which is a bit boring, but that is where the nice neighbor comes in handy.

The kids are loving their lessons, but they are tired. We have also crammed in a fair bit of play time with friends as well.

Oh, and we went to Superstore this evening to buy a new barbeque. I have been saving the gift cards from their buy over $250 in groceries and get a $25 gift card promotion all winter. And their barbeques were half price. We basically only paid the gst on our new barbeque, well that and the few other bits and pieces that we got tonight.
By the time we got to the check-out, waiting for someone to help us was the hardest part of the adventure, I decided we should go through the self check out since we had a big barbeque in tow. Mari was losing it, so Wes took her out to the van. I then started to wonder how to I get a cart with two kids and a barbeque out to the van. Oh, and once I'm at the van, how do we get the barbeque in it. Hmmmm. All things we should have considered.

The nice gal at the self checkout helped me ring in the barbeque as I had no idea how to do it. Now I had to start doing the other bits and pieces, which after some struggle I figured out. Nothing like trying something new when you have kids around. Then I pressed ready to pay. OK, scan the gift card. Oh, its beeping. OK try again. Wait for attendant, oh... OK. Um, can you help me again. So the nice girl takes over my payment options and helps me out of my current pickle. So glad she is so capable.

By now Wes has come and taken the other two children out to the van, which I presume is close at hand, cheekily parked in a handicapped spot by the front entrance. As I try to leave the dolly with the barbeque starts to give me grief, in fact I have no idea how to use the bleep bleep thing, it wasn't its fault. The nice gal tries to help me again but this is beyond her expertise. Thankfully a young man knowledgeable in the ways of dollies walks by and assists us, in fact, he offers to help me to my car. Good man.

Now how to get it in. Wes empties the van of all the bikes etc, but it still doesn't fit in the back.We get creative and we get the box in and we are off. I take a seat in the very back with Gavin and worry while Wes drives home safely.
Once home Mari is no longer in tears, in fact, she is perched on top of the barbeque box, insisting that is where she wants to sleep.
Average night out I suppose. Don't stare!!

Gavin's extra tooth

Gavin has an extra tooth. Well, should I say had. It was a baby tooth just hanging out in his gums. It was discovered when the dentist did some x-rays. The little tooth was in a bad spot and was likely going to cause damage to the adult tooth.

Today he had surgery to remove that little tooth.

He was very brave and so was Mommy. I don't like general anesthetic on kids, but he did great.

The actual surgery took 10 minutes. We were on our way home an hour and a half after his appointment.

Certainly not the surgical drama we are used too. And it was weighing on my mind. But now, it is done.

Thought we'd have a boring summer

We had few plans for this summer, so I thought... we'd be bored! Sheesh - was I wrong.

We have been so busy. Crazy busy. Playing with friends, birthday parties, Grandparents to hang out with and a few wee road trips.

Busy times.

The pictures are from a little trip to a farm near Calgary that was doing an open house. We went with Jolie and kids. Also from our trip to Drumheller yesterday to visit with Ali and her family, we crashed their vacation. But... we had fun doing it!

We are done the birthday parties for a couple weeks or so. Bit of a break on that front. Whew!

Hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as we are.

Roasting marshmellows

Sticky fun!

Jasper again

Sorry to break it up like this, but we took a ton of pictures.

The next day we all went to Athabasca falls and I felt more anxious than you can imagine with the kids. It is very safe, big cement walls and fences, but still, yikes the height and water made me nervous. Mari and Gavin drove to the falls with Mom and Dad and apparently she had them all laughing. She was very concerned and upset because the water "falls." She didn't want the water to hurt itself. I think now, after seeing it she'll have a better idea of the concept behind water falls.

The afternoon was shopping in Jasper. Auntie Pam and Uncle Tom gave them each a bit of money to spend in Jasper, so they were excited to do that. Then we drove to lake Annette for more water play in the sand. And I finally relaxed. It was a safe distance from all highways, parking lots, the water was calm and fairly shallow at the edges. Whew! A few moments of peace.

Gavin built elaborate canals and just enjoyed that so much. The girls tried to play "Save Mommy," but Mommy plays rougher and they ended up getting sloshed around in the very cold water, not exactly what they wanted.

We did all the things we set out to do and we managed to avoid most of the rain. It was a great vacation and the kids are already asking when we can go back.

Jasper

We had so much fun in Jasper. They were so excited to see Grandma and Grandpa. The little cabins we were in, were just by the Athabasca river. The cold, fast rushing, terrifying Athabasca river. It amazed me that things that didn't scare me before were now very scary, because I had kids to watch.

We stopped at the sand dunes, on the Jasper lake side as the water levels were too high on the Talbot lake side.

The girls were enjoying a game of "Save Grandma." It was sooo fun and Grandma was a great sport. Gavin and Grandpa explored along the beach and had a few scientific discussions. Better Grandpa than me!

We stopped up the road for a picnic at the east end of Talbot lake. We spotted a gorgeous male elk with a full rack. Pretty special site.

Wes and I took the kids up from there to Miette Hot Springs. Mom never did like the road and they declined. It seemed warmer than I remembered. The kids loved it. Mari wanted to go back to the "hod pool." Bronwyn wanted to bring Grandma back, she was having a hard time understanding why the drive up would bother her.

The rest of the evening was spent goofing off at the cabin.

Good fun, tiring day!

Sherwood Park

We rolled into Sherwood Park with a great deal of excitement. My kids just think their big cousins are SOOOOO cool.

I just can't get over how quickly time flies. It just seems the other day when I would pull up at their house and see three little head (roughly same ages as my kids) bobbing in the window excited to see their Auntie. Now, I'm rolling up with three bobbing little heads who can't wait to get in to see their big cousins.

We did lots of stuff while there. Swimming, playing, lots of vidoe games for Gavin, nice meals, and lovely visits. Good time in all.

We are home

We arrived home last night. I had planned to do a quick blog post but unfortunately I left my brain somewhere around Canmore. Still haven't found it, but I'll do my best to soldier on. There are something you can just do without, this seems to be one of them.


The kids did great yesterday - it was a long driving day. We stopped quite a lot and a couple stops were long ones - so the kids could get a break from the car. So it took us about 9 hours to get from Jasper to Calgary. When I was in University I would often drive through the park to go home for visits, it usually took me about 6 hours from Calgary to Hinton. But I had a better bladder then, and I didn't have three kids, nor a husband who has to stop and take a picture of every single mountain.


We had a lovely trip. I'll post some pictures and explain our adventures.

Road trip

We are off on a road trip.

The kids and I are going first to Sherwood Park to visit with Josh! Mari talks about Josh all the time - so its Josh's house! But we are all very excited to see everyone even if there name isn't Josh.

Then we are headed to Jasper to meet up with Wes and my folks. Should be fun if it doesn't rain the whole time.

I'll be back in a week or so armed with lots of pictures.

Happy Canada Day!

Great excitement in this house for Canada Day. We watched a bit of the early festivities from Ottawa. The arrival of Prince William and Kate. Nice that they could join the party, but I'm afraid to say Kate seems to have stolen the show.

Gavin seems to think (and I blame this on the school earth day celebrations) that you should celebrate Canada day by walking around the neighborhood picking up garbage. While I think this is a great idea I'm not willing to do it on a day when we are having company. I promised him we'd do it one day soon.

We are having the MacKenzie's and our Irish friends the Peoples over tonight. Should be fun. Wes worked today, but is home now - whew!

I worked too. I have literally been on my feet all day. Hope the food is good - that is the best outcome.

Hope you all have a wonderful Canada Day - whether you are a Canadian or not! We love the world here.