Dear Grandma...

First off, let me say, I love you, Grandma.
May your days ahead be filled with love and
joy as you are re-united with Grandpa and other
loved ones again.

This is a very difficult blog, as it has been a rough week. On Sunday morning, we awoke to a phone call from my mom saying that my grandma has passed away overnight. It was completely unexpected and shocking, to say the least. She was such a gentle woman who was so proud of her family and life history. Even though we heard her stories (many) times due to Alzheimer's, they never got old. One of my favorite sayings of hers was when she'd look all around, seeing her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and say, "Just think... all of this because of me" or "I never imagined all of this." She kept her promise to come to Canada after her first husband was killed in World War II. As she and my Auntie Ann (who was 3 at the time) travelled west to Alberta, she met and married my Grandpa. And the rest is history... 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild was due in a few months.

As I sit here this evening, I am still finding it difficult to believe that she's gone. Even though it's been a week of planning, extended family arriving from out-of-town, I still feel like it's a dream. Tomorrow is Grandma's funeral and it's going to be a very long and tiring day. She was my last remaining grandparent and it's difficult to say good-bye, especially because it was so sudden. To quote a poem written by a friend of my sister's for her funeral tomorrow...

Dear Grandma,

Fond memories flood us
As we cry,
We were not ready
To say good-bye.
Though we knew
Your time would come,
You are our Grandma,
Friend and Mom.
We'll miss your smile,
Your selfless way,
We have so much
We'd like to say.
You walked this earth
With love and grace,
And in our hearts
You'll hold your place.
If you could have spoken
Before you died,
These are the words
You would have replied.
This life for me
Has truly passed,
I've loved you all
'Til the very last.
Weep not for me
But courage take,
And love one another
For my sake.

We love you, Grandma. I am proud to call you my Grandma. You lived an amazing 92 years and had a very successful life filled with loved ones, joy, laughter, and many memories. Rest in peace.

Love and hugs,
Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna xoxo

Is it that time already?!

Yes, it is nearly April, which, in the education world, means it's "time to start thinking about next year's assignment" time! When I was granted my maternity leave, the paperwork indicated I had to let the school division know my intentions for next year by April 30th. Turns out, they're wanting to get a "jump start" on staffing, so they've been calling me wanting my letter. After putting off the decision and many, many discussions, we finally made a very tough decision... I will be returning to work full-time at the end of August for the coming school year. I was considering the option of working part-time, about 0.8 FTE or so, but financially, it didn't even make sense with the cost of full-time childcare. So, back to full-time work in too few of months!

I really do love being home with my kids and I can't believe how quickly life flies by, especially when you have two children. I do enjoy my job though (as much work as it is and the many extra hours I put in) and I'm confident everything will work out. Hopefully this year is much more positive on the childcare front... let's not go there!! LOL! It's all about finding a good balance for the family and yourself. I've always worked full-time in the past, so I am fully aware that it's going to be hard. Thank goodness I have an amazing husband who helps out and does so much around the house! If only the school day was shorter so I could be home earlier... hmmmm.... :)

We have had a difficult couple of weeks. Colby broke out with some sort of terribly itchy face, resulting in major scratching and marks on his face that wouldn't clear up with medication or ointments. Still not sure what it is... but now he is on oral antibiotics and it seems to be helping greatly. Very strange, but it has improved tremendously, so hopefully it's gone for good soon! He also came down with a pretty bad cold last weekend. He was running a fever, had a bad cough, runny nose, and wasn't able to get much rest due to the cough. Thank goodness he was napping in the afternoons and I think he is almost back to himself. The only problem now? Jenna has a cough and runny nose.... grrr!! When it's in the house, it's inevitable that both kids will get it, right?! So frustrating! Hopefully it is a mild one for her and she'll be back to normal quickly too. She's still her happy, content little self, just a stuffed up, coughing little girl now. :(

We are in between sessions of Preschool and Tick Tock Time now, so it has been great having a rather low-key week. Besides Colby being sick, it was truly really nice to not have plans everyday and running out every morning. It's great to stay home and just PLAY!! Tonight was Colby's last swimming lesson of this session and he passed the "Duck" level. Good job, buddy! :) He got a check mark for each one of the skills/activities and will go to "Sea Turtle" next when he turns 3. I registered him in gymnastics beginning the middle of April. It's a Parent and Tot class that we will attend on Saturday mornings. I think it will be a great outlet of energy for our very energetic little man!

We have a busy weekend ahead with Gerry playing in another bonspiel tomorrow afternoon. We also have Jenna's 6 month pictures on Sunday morning, followed by a date with some friends, Joe and Tara, at Jubilations Sunday evening. I hope Colby and Jenna will be good for their first "non-grandparent" babysitting night. Chantel will be great, I know it!

Have a great weekend everyone and Welcome Spring!!

The Cameron Family
xoxo

I LOVE Being a Mom!

A few things I love about being a mom:

- Hearing the word "Mommy", even if it is a million times a day
- Hearing "I wuv you, Mommy" everyday
- Hugs and kisses! (To and from the kids... can't get enough!!)
- Turning on Jenna's light in the morning, greeting her with "Good morning beautiful", and getting a huge smile in return
- Hearing Jenna "find her voice" with her squeals of all tones in one octave!
- Seeing Colby give Jenna kisses and hugs
- Hearing Colby explain toys to Jenna and playing with her
- Seeing their big, beautiful, blue eyes
- Snuggles on the couch
- Reading books, books, and more books to our kids
- Listening to Colby 'read' books to me
- Capturing a great moment with photos
- Scrapbooking my favorite photos of the kids
- Taking our kids different places to expose them to many wonderful things in our world
- Having quite sophisticated (and funny!) conversations with our 2 year old little man
- Laughing!
- wondering where Colby comes up with some of his sayings
- Playing! Playing cars, trucks, and trains with Colby before the sun is even up!
- Seeing them smile, cheer ("Yay!"), and clap!
- Seeing a great imagination at work
- Witnessing learning happening... connections being made, puzzles fitting together, etc.
- Baking! Decorating cookies is a lot of fun with a 2 year old helping.
- Seeing the excitement and magic of every holiday through the eyes of a child.
- Explaining the magic of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny
- Shopping for kids' clothes and dressing them in adorable outfits... kids' clothes are the cutest!!
- Hearing from others, "She really looks like you!"
- Having a living room and a basement full of toys for play, exploration, and discovery
- Going shopping and only buying things for the kids
- Looking at Colby and Jenna and knowing that my wonderful husband and I created these two beautiful children!

Colby and Jenna, you are more loved than you'll ever know!
xoxo Mommy

* I could keep going, but here are just a few of my favorite things!

5 months old already

Yes, she is! I can't believe Jenna is 5 months old already! The time is flying by so quickly, but we are sure enjoying her more interactive and fun personality as she grows older. We took her to be weighed and measured last weekend when she turned 5 months and she continues to do well. Jenna is 14 lbs. 6 oz. and is 24 1/2" long. I find it hard to get an exact measurement, but we think it's pretty close. This means she grew about 1 1/2" in one month! She's still pretty short for her age, but that's alright!! She's growing and doing well, so that's all that matters! She is now rolling over consistently from her back to her tummy. It's pretty funny that when we lie her down, she instantly is trying to get to roll over. At least she doesn't mind being on her tummy! I often wonder if she's going to be an early mover too... she likes to bring her legs up and then kick them back while on her tummy. It's pretty cute, since just her bum goes into the air and her chest stays on the floor. :) We gave her rice cereal last weekend for the first time and she now has cereal once per day at breakfast. She wasn't a huge fan and didn't really know what to do with it, but it's improving... slowly. This week, I introduced a sippy cup with her cereal too. She did really well with it! It's pretty cute how the sippy cup is so big compared to her face! But she held onto it right away and knew to put the spout in her mouth too! We are working on some sleep re-training with Jenna right now, since she has regressed from her fantastic sleep schedule the past few weeks. She had not been napping very well and was waking up in the middle of the night and eating an entire bottle... very strange for her! It seems to be improving... slowly. Last night she slept for 9.5 hours before waking up, which was good. Hopefully things continue to get better!

Jenna is completely in love with her big brother! She gives him the biggest grins and giggles when he's playing around her, talking to her, or kissing her! I love it! I really hope this continues and our kids remain friends as they grow older. I truly hope they appreciate family as much as I do and have a strong connection with each other as they age.

Gerry and Colby went to the Oil Kings game on Wednesday night. Colby had a nap on the way into the city, which was a blessing! We thought he might be ready to come home after one period, but it turns out he LOVED it!! They stayed and watched the entire game! He was pretty excited that Daddy bought him a new Oilers stick and when asked his favorite part of the game, he responded, "The red zamboni!" I'm glad they had such a great time together!!

Have a great week everyone! Enjoy the beautiful weather ahead!! We're loving these well-above-zero temperatures!!

xoxo The Cameron Family

On the mend...

Yes, we're all starting to feel a bit better. Colby is actually doing very well and only has two more days of his medication. He is hardly coughing at all anymore and I can tell he's pretty much back to himself because... he's not napping anymore! Yep, clear indication that the old Colby is back! When he was sick, he was so cuddly, wanted to snuggle with Mom all the time and napped great! Sadly, these moments are gone! But he's getting better, which is more important! :) Jenna has a bit of a cough occasionally still, but is doing much better. I hope her cold continues to improve and doesn't turn into anything else! My medication has been slow to kick in this time... I have a sinus infection (surprise, surprise!) and have not felt well in nearly two weeks. Today is the first day that I'm starting to feel like I'm on the mend. It's sure no fun being sick!

We had a great Valentine's Day weekend... low key, but great! On Sunday, Colby and I did quite a bit of baking! We made a giant heart chocolate chip cookie from a big heart cake pan. It was fun and delicious! Then we made heart-shaped sugar cookies and decorated them! He had fun working the cookie cutter and putting on the decorations and sprinkles. My, my, there were a lot of sprinkles to clean up! But the fun and enthusiasm he had was more than worth it! We had a fun weekend hanging out together and enjoyed Family Day together. It's nice to have Gerry home during the week on long weekends, as it doesn't happen very often.

This week was back to normal... we went to Preschool on Tuesday morning and had fun making Olympic and Canadian Flags for the craft. Colby is really enjoying the Olympics on TV and has been cheering "Go Canada Go" with his flags! It's pretty darn cute!! This morning we had Tick Tock Time, followed by some time at the playgym and then home for the afternoon. Colby and I baked banana bread and played in the afternoon while Jenna had a great nap. Swimming lessons were fun tonight... although very strange with only 2 children there, including Colby!! He's definitely improving in some areas. Last session and even at the beginning of this session, he wouldn't jump in on his own... he would need to hold hands. Now he is jumping in no problem! It's great to see improvement and his love for swimming!

I can't believe our baby girl is going to be 5 months old in a couple of days! We're going to get her weighed and measured this weekend... I know she has definitely put on weight and am hoping she has grown in length too! She hasn't been sleeping very well at night lately. This has been an adjustment, as she has been sleeping well through the night since a very young age. She is having a hard time putting herself back to sleep and is needing to eat in the middle of the night, which is very strange. I think we're going to start her on rice cereal soon. Hopefully her sleeping patterns improve quickly... it's tough getting up in the night again! LOL! She is doing great! Jenna's a pretty easy-going baby and likes to watch everything going on, especially everything Colby is up to! She has big smiles for him and likes "talking" with him too. Jenna is SO close to rolling over from her back to her tummy. She gets onto her side and then can't go the rest of the way. Soon, I'm sure... she likes tummy time, so hopefully it doesn't scare her too much once she finally does roll over! I love playing with her and helping her to interact with toys. She focuses on things very hard (just like Colby did) and you can see the concentration in her eyes! LOL! I'll keep you posted on her 5 month weigh-in this weekend!

We've been enjoying the warmer weather and have been outside quite a bit this week. Hopefully it continues... I can handle this kind of winter weather! :) The kids and I enjoy walks around the neighborhood and playing at the park nearby. Colby's a big fan of snow anywhere, so he's not too picky whether we play at the park or in our yard! But I am definitely looking forward to the arrival of spring! Fingers crossed!

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Cameron Family xoxo

One sick household

Sadly, this week hasn't exactly been the best. After a very busy weekend with little sleep for Mom, I got sick on Sunday. It seemed like a bad chest cold with lots of deep coughing. Ick!! Colby started coughing, sneezing, and having a very runny nose on Monday. We were quite the pair. Tuesday, I decided to stay home and not go to Preschool, as Colby wasn't feeling so great yet and we needed some time at home after lots of plans and outings the past several days. We also stayed home Wednesday and Thursday (I know... I never stay home this much!) and I took Colby to the doctor Thursday afternoon after he was complaining of an "owie" every time he coughed. He certainly wasn't improving with his 'cold', so I'm glad they were able to get him in. Although I loved it, Colby had been very snuggly and cuddly all week. He didn't want to play much and just wanted to be held. Very unlike him... Turns out he has pneumonia!! Poor little guy... what began as a cold quickly progressed into pneumonia. The doctor said he was very crackly and rattly on both lungs. So we got a prescription for penicillin and cough medicine (to alleviate some night-time coughing and help him get some sleep).

He also had to get some chest x-rays done. When we arrived at the hospital, he was very nervous about the rooms and machines, but the x-ray tech asked if I could wait in the hall. I really didn't know how he would do, but he went with her no problem and closed the door on his own (with the help of a sticker or two!) Everything was going well until the very end when I heard a lot of crying for Mommy. They asked me to go in and help with the last position. I needed to hold his arms above his head with another tech while one took the x-ray. All in all, he did pretty well and I was proud of him. Pretty scary place for a little 2 year old without Mommy to come too.

He has shown some slow improvement... coughing a little bit less and the runny nose has stopped. He takes the penicillin three times a day (at meals) and is doing well taking it. Now just to get him to eat something... He has had next to no appetite for most of the week. Luckily, he is still drinking lots, so I'm not too worried. Hopefully he and I will be feeling better very soon and we can get out of the house soon! My chest cold is now in my head, so I have a typical bad cold. Ugh... I'm so tired of being sick!! It's pretty exhausting being sick and taking care of a sick little boy. We are working on coughing into his elbow and we're doing a lot of handwashing. I'm hoping Jenna doesn't get sick too, but she began coughing a bit yesterday, so I hope it doesn't turn into anything else!! Fingers crossed!!

Jenna and I went to our niece, Emerson's 1st birthday party yesterday! It was a ladybug theme and everything was so adorable, including a great personalized banner and a beautiful ladybug cake made by Tracy! It was a lot of fun... I just wish Colby would have been better to have come too. He and Blake play so well together... Thanks for having us, Edmonton Camerons! :)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! I am so blessed to be married to the love of my life! Gerry is such an amazing husband and a wonderful father. I am truly the lucky one to have such a great, supportive, and loving man!! xoxo

We're looking forward to having Gerry home for Family Day tomorrow too. Again, I'm hoping Colby will be feeling better, so we can do something fun as a family!

Have a great rest of your weekend everyone!
Lesley

Las Vegas Vacation & Happy Birthday Gerry!

Gerry and I had a wonderful trip to Las Vegas from February 1-4. I really missed the kids and had a hard time being away from them, but it was really nice spending time with just Gerry. With two little kids, it's difficult to find time for the two of us, unless we really 'make time'. So this was a great little getaway to help celebrate Gerry's 30th birthday! We did a lot of walking, checking out the sights and hotels along the Strip, shopping!!!, saw the Cirque de Soleil show "O", went to Fremont Street, and went on a tour to the Hoover Dam. The Bellagio Hotel was gorgeous!! I would recommend it to anyone in a heart beat! We didn't do much gambling at all (just a few dollars in slot machines here and there), but neither one of us is big into gambling anyway. I hope to go again one day... some friends and I have been talking about going again next year for our 30th birthdays! Las Vegas is definitely an experience, but 4 days was enough. We were both ready to come home on Day 4. It doesn't help that coming home, our flight was delayed 1 hour 45 minutes! We didn't arrive at home until 3:30 am... needless to say, it was a very long day on Friday with less than 2 hours of sleep that night.

It was SO great to see Colby and Jenna when we got home! I actually only cried twice while we were gone, but then cried as soon as I saw them! SO happy to see my babies! It was even better Friday morning to hold them and talk to them! Colby was so excited to see us and talked most of the day about his adventures with his Grandmas over the previous 4 days!! We are so thankful our moms stayed with the kids and are so happy they were good for them! I think they were probably pretty tired, but we truly hope they enjoyed their time here! Thanks again!

It's amazing how much bigger the kids seem to me! I know it was only four days, but it seems like Jenna sprouted while we were away. Okay, who am I kidding, she probably didn't, but you know what I mean! Colby made us laugh with his continued 'curling obsession'. He loves to 'sweep the rocks' with his Swiffer broom and yell "Hurry... hard... hard" as he's sweeping. OMG, it makes us all laugh!! Jenna is so close to rolling over onto her tummy from her back. She's been close for a couple of weeks now, but now she gets right onto her side, but just can't go the extra little bit. It's good that she likes tummy time, so hopefully it won't scare her too much once she finally does roll over! Her newest thing on tummy time is bringing her knees up (like she's about to crawl) and kicking them back out. She doesn't move her arms at all, just her legs. It's pretty cute!! I love having little conversations with Jenna and hearing her coos, many sounds, laughs, and squeals! It's really in the evenings that we hear a lot of these, since she usually can't get a word in edge wise when her brother's around! LOL!!

We had some friends and family over on Friday night for Gerry's 30th birthday. It was a fun party and a lot of laughs were shared!! Gerry was pretty tired, but I think a nap that afternoon with the kids (and the rum that night!) helped! We were amazed at how well all of the kids did with such a late night!! It makes things easier, for sure! On Saturday afternoon, we went to Evangeline's 2nd birthday party. I went to high school with her mom, Irene, and it's been great having Colby and Evangeline so close in age! They play so well together!! Sunday was our godson, Jordan's, baptism. We are so blessed to be his godparents and share in his special baptism day. It was a long day with church, followed by a get-together at Kristy and Kyle's house until supper time. Thanks for having us, Kristy! What a delicious meal and a great afternoon!!

Whew... the weekend was very busy and tiring after arriving home late and having little sleep throughout it. It was nice to have a few days of staying at home, playing, and enjoying time with the kids this week. We didn't go to Preschool on Tuesday morning, as Colby (and I) have been sick with a cold since the beginning of the week. He has a terrible cough and a runny nose, so I decided it would be nicer to stay at home in our jammies!! We love pyjama days! Hopefully it passes quickly and doesn't hit Jenna. I really hate seeing the kids sick and don't want her to get anything... fingers crossed!!

Enjoy the rest of your week and enjoy the warm weather! We sure enjoyed being outside today and playing in the snow this afternoon in the bright, beautiful sunshine and above 0 temperatures!

Lesley

xoxo