what matters most

A wee bit early....

2009-11-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

So I have never set my Xmas tree up this early, but it just felt like the right time. My Alex is a big decorator and absolutely LOVES holidays and special occasions so he can transform the house into his own masterpiece. :) (I love it!!!!) The kids cranked Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas and we went to town decorating the house and the tree. I was able to snap a pic at the end of my 2 beauties in front of their masterpiece! xo

School Pictures

2009-11-19T16:37:00.000-08:00

So I finally dragged the kids to the store to take school pics. Alex sure has grown up in the last year. I was amazed. He was helpful and sweet and we had a great time posing! :) My three year old on the other hand.....;) I manage to snap a few of her though anyway. Here are their pics to give to their friends.

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T18:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone!! It was another beautiful evening. I was worried about the wind earlier in the day, but it calmed down and was chilly but nice! The kids had a fantastic year and it was a blast watching them enjoy the holiday!

The big day!

2009-09-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well i can't believe it! You started your first day of Kindergarden!!!! I am so proud of you! There were no tears. You were a little nervous when you got there but you just marched in and did it all on your own. I didn't want to leave but i knew you would do great, so i left you own your OWN!!!! Way to go Alex!!! Kate was not as happy as you were. She didn't want to leave her big brother behind. Poor K!!!

Camera happy! :)

2009-09-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

Just couldn't put my camera down today. Had to capture these sweet faces. xo

Happy Birthday Kate!

2009-09-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am still in disbelief about this birthday Kate!!! 3???? already???? You are growing up so fast. You are such a little mighty mouse. You are small but man you are strong. Physically and mentally. Nothing gets past you!!!! I love that about you. You are such a caring and loving little soul. You are one amazing little girl.

You had a blast with your friends at your party. It had to be a Dora party. It never gets old. Happy birthday girl! xoxoxoxo

Happy Birthday Alex

2009-09-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well Happy Birthday big guy!!! I can't believe you are 5!!!! Where the heck did that time go????? Even though i miss those baby and toddler years i am soooo excited about what is coming. You are on the edge of starting to think about reading and that is so cool. You start Kingergarden in a few weeks and that is amazing. You are soooo excited and are sooo ready. You had a blast at your parties. You are always full of energy and enthusiasm. The life of the party. You enjoyed having your friends over and of course....eating CAKE!!! You are one awesome kid Alex. I love you so much. xo Mom

Beach Day

2009-07-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon at Plum Coulee Beach with the Molloys. The kids had a blast playing in the water, catching minnows and burying Andrew. What a great way to spend a hot summer day!

Its been awhile.....:)

2009-05-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful morning playing outside today. I am glad to have summer fast approaching!!! :)

A Labour of Love

2009-02-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

Alex and i had a blast making valentines for his preschool. He definitely wanted to sample the treats, but was VERY helpful, writing, cutting and taping!!!!

Puzzles

2009-02-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

This has been an obsession for this little one. She LOVES puzzles. It is adorable to watch her try and figure these things out. The best part is the excitement when she completes it herself!!!

Just like Dad!

2009-02-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Oh man, has it been awhile since i have last posted!!! Yikes, the month of January just flew by in a blink! I was looking through my pictures and was wondering what to share. I had to post Alex (and Kates;) ) first shaving experience!!! Alex got a shaving kit for Christmas and had to try it out! They all got a chance to be Santa just like Dad!!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

Okay so i am a little behind....but better late than never!!! We are just coming up from all the boxes and wrapping paper etc and trying to clean up and catch up! We were lucky enough not to have to travel this year. We had Christmas here in Altona. The kids had lots of fun and it was very sweet to watch their excitement! Thanks so much for all the cards and letters!!!

Busy month!!!

2008-12-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

What a jampacked month! It was here and poof it was gone. We had a great time enjoying all that the season brings. Here are a few pictures to capture our chaos. :)

Baking up a Storm!

2008-12-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

You both went to Grandmas today to bake and decorate Christmas Cookies!!!! Alex I have never seen you move that fast to get out the door in a long time!!!!!!!! I love this time of year and especially with kids it is so wonderful to create those special memories with them. You had a blast! I think your favorite part was the icing! Surprise!!!! You were so pleased with what you accomplished and loved eating what you created. Thanks Grandma for a special morning!

Finally Finished!

2008-11-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Well it took me long enough but i am FINALLY done my mini album for the August Photo challenge. We had a weekend crop at the store and i was able to have a chunk of time to get crackin!!! Hooray!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful night!!!!! I can't remember a Halloween with such good weather!!! The kids had a blast dressing up and going trick r treating!!! (especially to Grandmas!!!!) Andrew and i had a fun time with them!!!!

No cheese peez!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Boy is it a challenge to get pics of your own kids!!! Yikes. Poor Kate would have no part of it and said "no cheeze peez!!!" But we needed to get some 4 year pics of Mr. Alex and a couple shots of them together. I managed to snap a few at the right moment to make it all worth it.

Beautiful Day

2008-09-23T20:10:00.001-07:00

It was impossible to stay indoors on Sunday. What a gorgeous day. We went with friends to Morden park where the kids had fun on the very cool play structures. K even went down the slide with her cast. There is nothing stopping that one!!! We also walked around the beautiful park. A summer day (sure felt like it) wouldn't be complete without a stop for ice cream!! Or in A's case a popsicle!!!! What a great day!

First Day

2008-09-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

It was the first day of preschool today!!! Ready, set, GO! I know this year is just going to fly. It is your last year home with me!!!! Yikes, hard to believe Kindergarden is only 1 year away! I am really looking foward to spending that time with you ...watching you grow and change. You are turning into such a little man. Slow down there big guy!

The big 2!!!

2008-09-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

I had to take Kate after her haircut to get pictures. It was the perfect day to document her 2 years!!! My little miss!!!

First Haircut!!!!

2008-09-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

I can't believe i haven't taken her for a haircut yet, but i finally broke down and had it done. She loved it!!! She sat there like a little doll. She was a bit apprehensive at first and then loved it. The hairdresser put a braid and sparkles in! She looks so grown up!!!!

A sad day....

2008-09-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

Yes this is a cast on Kates leg! :( On Wednesday we were in Children's Hospital in Winnipeg getting a cast on this little girl! What a sad day! The previous day Kate was eating lunch on my lap. She had had enough of eating off my plate when she wanted to get down to play. She misjudged? or lost her balance and fell getting off my lap. Andrew and I both thought, wow she is really overreacting?, she really must have fell hard. A few hours later she was still not able to weightbear on her leg. We knew that something must be up. A few hours later with xrays done, we found out she had a fracture of her left tibea. Poor little girl. I think I cryed harder than she did. :( (I am still crying) She had 2 pretty rough days, but she has done EXCEPTIONALLY well. Just accepting her cast and carrying on with a smile! She points to it and says "boo boo" and "pink". She lets me know when it hurts and says "owie boo boo moma" She is one amazing tough little this girl! She has to wear the cast for 3 weeks and then they will re xray. The drs say it may be pretty sore and she may limp for a couple months. I have no doubt she will recover and be doing summersaults and running circles around her brother in no time!!!

This is it!!!!

2008-09-03T19:18:00.001-07:00

Well this is it! I completed the August photo challenge!!! It was so much fun and i am so glad i did it!!! It was a huge reminder to live in the day and enjoy those moments!!!

August 29 - ME do!!!! Need i say more??? Kate is full force into the independence stage. She must do everything on her own!!! You go girl!!!

August 30 - I thought that i forgot to take a picture today. When i was reviewing the wedding pictures we took, i came across this one!! Hooray! I didn't forget. This is my partner in crime!!! We shot a wedding today and had a blast!!!

August 31 - 3 and 1 challenge. I didn't realize it when i bought this shirt, but it was so appropriate for the day!!! August 31st!!!!! We spent the morning celebrating Kates 2nd birthday. What a hoot! She had so much FUN and it was very sweet to watch!! This picture describes her to a tee. This little one isn't aftraid to try new things and just jumps in with both feet!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!

2008-09-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well she is officially a big girl now!!! We celebrated Kates 2nd birthday this weekend and what fun! She had a blast and was buzzing with happiness. We spent the morning outside with friends and grandma! Kate loved the excitement and just enjoyed every minute. They danced to music, ran through the slipnslide and had the sprinkler under the trampoline. This little monkey is growing up at warp speed and is becoming this big girl before our eyes. Happy Birthday Kate. We love you!!!

Happy 4th Birthday!!!

2008-09-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Well it is that time of year again!!! The August birthday month at the Fennells! Alex had a blast at his party. He was missing 2 special friends who were stuck in the states, but it ended up being a great day! What could be better, a beautiful summer day, slipnslides, sprinklers, games, pool, food, cake, presents. A 4 year olds dream day!! Happy Birthday Big guy!!! We love you!!!

Photo Challenge - Week Four

2008-08-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

This was one jam packed week! It was definitely a highlight of the summer!!!

August 21 – I was so excited to go on this trip!!! New York here I come!!!!!

August 22 – Looking down challenge. What better picture to use than looking down on New York City!!!! We were on top of the Empire State Building looking down at the Chrysler Building.

August 23 – Central Park, I think, was my favorite part of my trip to New York! I think every movie ever made has filmed a scene in this park! (okay I might be exaggerating, but close) It was just gorgeous!

August 24 – This is my beautiful sister! We were walking in Soho shopping when we found this very cool wall which made the perfect backdrop!!

August 25 – I want to see you challenge. Home sweet home. It was so fun to be away but there is no place like home!!

August 26 – Hardwork challenge. It was so hard to get back in the swing of ‘normal’ live again, but I managed to cook up a yummy bbq steak supper. Way to go me!!!

August 27 – Good Night challenge. I'm sure Andrew enjoyed special time with the kids while i was away!!! Daddy bonding time!!!

New York City!!!

2008-08-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

This was the official 2nd Annual Drummond Sisters Getaway! Vegas was blast, but this trip ROCKED!!! If you ever have the chance to go to NYC, GO!!!! I loved this city!!! Definitely not to live but an awesome place to visit!!! We never rested and went hard for the entire trip. We walked for miles, ate tons... there is nothing like new york pizza, little delis, cheesecake, amazing little corner restaurants and cafes. The food was fabulous! We did a bunch of touristy things, the empire state building, walked across the brooklyn bridge, took the subway, saw the site of word trade center, took the statin island ferry and saw the statue of liberty, saw NYU, shopped on fifth avenue, walked central park, the Met, shopped on canal street, soho, grenich village. We took in 3 broadway shows. (Wicked, Rent and Avenue Q) They were phenominal! I loved the trip from start to finish. I didn't want to leave.

Now...where to next year............... :)

Photo Challenge - Week 3

2008-08-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am a little early but i am off to New York for our 2nd annual sisters weekend!!! Here are my pics from the week.
Aug15 – Tripod Challenge – This is a typical lunch at the Fennells! Andrew comes home from work and we sit down for a few minutes :) to eat! I used the counter with A’s webkinz under the lens to prop it up!!! I NEED a tripod!!! :)

Aug16 – Happy Birthday A!!! We had a lightning McQueen party with friends and A had a blast! The party was out in the backyard, it was a perfect day for it! Slipnslide, sprinkler, and lots of games!

Aug17 – K is in love with tattoos! She is finally getting a burst of new words and tells anyone who will listen that this is her “tattoo”!!!

Aug18 - one of your favorite gifts!!! A remote control lightning mcqueen car!! Wow!!!

Aug19 – August challenge. This is one thing that means summer!!! Playing chalk on the driveway!

Aug20 – What’s on your plate challenge. K loves toast and fruit for breakfast. We love our windows in the back and enjoy watching the birdies in the morning.

Long overdue!!!

2008-08-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

We spent the day in Winnipeg with the Fennells! We haven’t seen these guys in ages!!! We got to see their new house and it is gorgeous!!! The kids had such a ball with their very cool cousins!!! A and I got to sit and visit while the cousins looked after the kids!!! What a treat! Built in babysitters!!! Too bad we didn’t live closer!! A asked a few times if he could live there and wanted to stay for 400 days!!! Kate LOVED the animals and hugged J about a dozen times. We just had a blast! I’m sure A will be talking about this for days!!!

Photography Challenge - Week 2

2008-08-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Aug.8 - We LOVE grandma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aug.9 – Kerri and I were commenting on the awesome places to take pictures in Winnipeg while we were there doing some shopping on Saturday. Can you believe neither of thought to pull our cameras out and snap a picture of the day!!! We pulled over on the highway on the way home to get a shot!!!

Aug.10 – Sesame Street Live in Grandforks. What a treat!!! A fabulous day with friends!

Aug.11 - A house is a home challenge - A picture walking up the steps of our front door.

Aug.12 – Lets see your feet challenge – This was a super fun one! A really cool perspective of my family.

Aug.13 – We have spent the summer reading lots of books! The summer reading program at the town library has had us reading up a storm.

Aug.14 – Go go go challenge – This little one could be outside from dawn to dusk. There were many a days were she would bring her shoes to me implying.. lets go outside mom!!! She now puts them on herself and opens the door!! Yikes. This picture is of her watching a tractor in the field behind our house. She wanted to go get a closer look. “Lets GO GO GO mom!!!”

Photography Challenge - Week One

2008-08-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Okay here are my pictures for the first week of the photo challenge at Rhubarb Roots.

Aug.1 - Look up challenge. It has been so fun to make the time to take pictures of my kids again. We were playing in the backyard on this gorgeous day! We LOVE summer!!!

Aug.2 - We have loved our garden in the back. Grandma has to take ALL the credit!!! The kids love to check it out everyday and sample all the yummy fresh treats!!!

Aug.3 - Good Morning Challenge. We had a fabulous day that started out with having the Molloys over for brunch. What a fun idea. Definitely have to make a more regular habit of this!!!

Aug.4 - DSs imagination has just gone wild these last few months. He has been to the moon and back and on all kinds of adventures with pirates and dinosaurs....you name it! It is so awesome to watch him and be a kid all over again!!!

Aug.5 - Oh my sweet DD. It has been fun taking pictures and you usually are such a poser, but today you were tired of me and would NOT look at the camera!!!! :)

Aug. 6 - I am very proud of all that ds has accomplished in swimming lessons this year. All though he didn't master putting his head in the water, he did grow leaps and bounds with his comfort level in the pool! Way to go!!!

Aug. 7 - I want to see you challenge. It was so fun to take swimming lessons with you Kate. I rarely have one on one time with you and that is priceless.

A blogger?????

2008-08-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe i am officially a blogger!!! I am not a very computer savvy, so this is way out of my comfort zone!!! My arm has been twisted and the peer pressure was just too much to handle!!! :) Just kidding!!!