Sick Little Jenna... and our new puppy!

Sadly, our camping holiday this year is not going as planned. We did go to Cross Lake Provincial Park on this past August Long weekend with great friends, the Kluz Family. However, something was definitely up with Jenna. We thought she was teething (other middle bottom tooth just about to poke through) and we fought with a fever and very irritable little baby all weekend. Turns out, she has measles! :( Our nephew, Jordan, came down with the measles days before Jenna, so it all makes sense now. Her fever finally broke after three days when she woke up on Monday morning with spots all over. While she no longer has the fever, she is still a bit "off" and I'm hoping she back to normal very soon!! Poor baby girl... :(

It was a very eventful weekend! Had fun at the campground with great parks and Colby always enjoys playing with Brock and Braydi. The beach was great on Sunday afternoon and ended with a surprise!! We were walking back to our beach and found a family of puppies with their mama and the family they belong to. Several people were all around then and Colby asked to touch one! (Yes, our son who is petrified of most dogs!!) So I was cuddling one of the three week old puppies and Colby touched it, then asked to hold it!! Even more shocking. Then came the "I want one!!" Seriously?!? Yes, he was serious. So, I went back to the trailer to get Gerry (who was having an afternoon nap with Jenna) to come and check out these absolutely adorable puppies! All in all, we are getting a puppy!!! He is SO cute!! He's a black lab - shepherd cross puppy and we can pick him up in about 3 weeks. I keep thinking, "What are we doing?!" But it's great to see Colby so excited and of course, Gerry is so excited too! So... we're going to be dog owners!!??!! Should be interesting..... Still working on his name... will keep you posted!

Since Jenna was sick and not herself at all, we cancelled our reservations in Jasper for the week. It wasn't the best weekend camping with Jenna and we didn't want to put her through that for an entire week too. So we are enjoying a week with Daddy at home!! Lots of things to do around the house, little shopping/errand trips, and hanging out! Colby is loving the fact that Gerry is home during the day. Tomorrow, he's going to take Colby out to the farm to see the animals, tractors, and go for a quad ride or two. I'm sure he will love every minute!

Speaking of Colby, potty training is going great!! Well, "pee training" is going great. He's having no problems with going pee (when we tell him to... he doesn't tell us yet that he has to go), but going poop is another story. So frustrating, but hopefully soon he'll try to poop on the potty??!! Mom and Dad can't wait for that day to come!!

Have a great week everyone with the warm temperatures ahead! We are using our air conditioning all the time and LOVE it!! :)

Gerry, Lesley, Colby, Jenna (and new puppy!!)
xoxo

Camping, Camping, and More Camping!

That's been our summer weekends... and we're loving it!! I think camping is such a great family activity and I'm glad our kids enjoy it too! I grew up in a big "camping family" (both immediate and extended), so I'm thankful we have our trailer and take our own children on mini-vacations and travel around Alberta. We've had a great July (can't believe it's almost over!) camping and enjoying the summer weather (in between the rain storms)!

July 9-11 - We were supposed to camp with Strathmore Friends, the Koppel Family, but Mark had to work, so we decided on a whim to cancel our reservations and go to Strathmore for the weekend. It was SO great to be back in our old "home". I always love visiting Strathmore and catching up with great friends who I miss dearly. Colby had so much fun playing with Matthew (6) and Cameron (4)... he always loves playing with older kids and was quite attached to Matthew! We went to the Calgary Zoo and also visited good friends, the Plett Family. I really do miss our Strathmore friends and think about moving back (occasionally!)... if I could only find a job!! Not such a great scenario in GHSD right now! Thank goodness life is established here to keep us grounded and right here in Stony Plain. :)

July 16-18 - We camped with the "Edmonton Cameron's" and two other families at Miquelon Lake. It was a really nice weekend (minus the wind) and all of the kids had fun. It was Canada Parks Day 2010 on Saturday, so there were many activities, including face painting, quilt square craft, and pond dipping. Colby always enjoys playing with Blake and they had a lot of fun the entire weekend, especially playing in all of the water and mud around the campsites! Pond dipping was a great way to spend an hour out on a dock searching for living things in the wetland. Colby was more interested in seeing how much mud he could pick up in his net, but also seemed intrigued by the creatures the older kids found! I really like going to Miquelon Lake... it's been recently renovated and it's a great family campground! Close to home makes it even better!! We hope to go back next year!

- July 23-25 - Ol' Macdonald's Resort in Stettler!! One of my all-time favorites since we used to go all the time when I was a child!! This is such a great place for families and was even better this year, now that Colby is a year older. Being a very short weekend (we arrived Friday night and left Sunday), it was pretty jam-packed!! The kids absolutely loved the beach and the lake. We haven't really played too much at the beaches while camping with the not-so-great weather, so I was happy to have some fun in the sun this weekend!! Colby enjoyed building sandcastles and playing in the lake and taking his dolphin (inflatable lake toy) for "walks"! :) Jenna LOVES the sand... and everything about it. She ate a lot of it!! She loved crawling in it, crawling over sand castles, even going in the very chilly lake! SO much fun!! Check-out time is 11:00 (which I'm not a huge fan of!!), but we were able to park in an overflow area and spend some more time there today (Sunday). So we packed a picnic lunch and headed down to the beach again this morning for some more fun before getting cleaned up and heading home at nap time. Aaaahhhh, travelling at nap time! Nice and quiet! :)

I'm excited about our next camping adventure. On Friday, we are heading to Cross Lake for the August Long weekend with friends Rob and Christa Kluz. Then we're coming home on Monday for a couple of hours to re-pack, etc. before heading to Jasper. We will be in Jasper from Monday until Friday. I'm excited to explore the town as a family and do lots of activities together. On Friday, we're going to Crimson Lake (by Rocky Mountain House) for the weekend before heading home on Sunday. We're both really looking forward to getting away as a family on this year's little summer vacation!

Have a great week... and enjoy the sun!
Gerry, Lesley, Colby and Jenna

Dear Colby...

My little Colby...

Where do I begin? You are such a funny, smart, and handsome little man who I'm proud to call my son! While I still can't believe that you're 2 1/2 years old already (I know...where did the time go?!) I have had so much fun watching you grow, explore, and learn. I absolutely love playing with you and having some very interesting conversations with you... you're one smart cookie! :) You come up with the funniest sayings sometimes!! Thank you for being such an amazing big brother to Jenna. It often brings me to tears watching you play and interact with her, giving her hugs, kisses, and snuggles, and telling people that she's your "baby sister". You will go far in life, no matter what you decide to do. (I think you might be a bit stubborn like your mom too... so I know you'll persevere and get whatever you desire out of life!!) I look forward to watching you continue to grow and learn about your world and having fun all along the way! Thank you for bringing so much joy and love to our lives!!

Love and hugs,
Mommy
xoxo

Dear Jenna...

My dearest Jenna...

I often ask myself, "Why does time need to pass so quickly?" I truly believe time goes by quicker when you have children and even more so with your second baby. You were so close to crawling for so long (lots of creeping around on your tummy for a couple of months!) and are now unstoppable with your crawling! First it was crawling, now it's taking a few steps behind a walker toy, and climbing two stairs on your own!! You're growing up way too quickly!! You've even said your first word, "Hi!" and use it in context whenever someone is talking to you. It's adorable!! While I like to see you grow and discover things, I wish you could stay our little baby girl forever! You are such a beautiful and happy little girl who brings such joy to our lives! You are loved more than you will ever know and I am so proud to have you as my daughter!!

Love and hugs,
Mommy
xoxo

Our little girl is on the move!

I can't believe how quickly Jenna moves these days! She has been "creeping" for quite a while now, but once she began crawling, there's no stopping her now! She loves chasing around after Colby and playing with him. I adore watching them play together! She has been pulling herself up on anything and everything in sight, including standing in her crib now, climbing onto the treadmill, up to Colby's train table (and stealing trains... which he is not a fan of!), to the couch, and the list goes on...... She's walking a lot when holding onto our fingers, so maybe she'll be an early walker too?!

Jenna has made a great transition from baby food to eating our food... and I'm loving it! She's mainly eating everything that we eat, just without sauces, etc. She loves feeding herself, which makes it a bit easier too. She loves fruit, yogurt, bread (must be my girl!!)... everything, really! :)

We've had a busy week already and it's only Tuesday! Yesterday, Cal, Tracy, Blake and Emerson came over for a visit mid-afternoon and the kids stayed here for a while when Cal and Tracy went to pick up their new minivan! Colby and Blake play really well together and Emerson fits in there perfectly with the boys and Jenna too! It was busy with the four kids, but we had a lot of fun playing outside. They all stayed for a yummy steak dinner too. Thanks for the visit, Edmonton Cameron's! :) Today, I watched Connor (my cousin Leanne's little guy) all day. Colby and Connor are inseparable when they're together, so it was a great day of playing and fun at the park. We went to Kristy's for lunch and more playing in the backyard before heading home for naptime. Can you believe all 3 kids slept at the same time?!? Woo hoo!! :) Okay, the overlap was not really all that long, but still... there were a few minutes of quiet!

We are leaving tomorrow evening for Gull Lake until Sunday. A great little extra-long weekend camping trip! Gerry took Friday off, so he's staying the entire time too, which is great. Tomorrow, the kids are going to Kristy's for a little while around lunch time so I can attend a Retirement Luncheon for one of the teachers at my school. Susan Fulmore is an incredible teacher who has so much wisdom and guidance to share! Her passion for literacy is infectious and she makes me want to become a better teacher and continue to work on my programming. She actually taught Gerry grade one at Forest Green School!!! (From what I hear, he was a bit of a trouble maker back then too!!) LOL! I'm really going to miss her and our lovely chats and her endless positive energy, but wish her a wonderful time in her retirement! Hugs to you, Susan!!

Have a great rest of the week, everyone! Enjoy Canada Day with family and friends!

xoxo
Lesley

Father's Day Weekend!

Our little Jenna turned 9 months old yesterday! I took her to be weighed and measured today and she is slowly, but surely continuing to gain weight. She is gaining about 1/2 pound every month and is now up to 17 lbs. 8 oz. and about 27 1/4" long. I find it really hard to measure her length... she's kind of a wiggle worm! All in all, doing great, I'd say! :)

We had a great weekend! I went to Jubilations on Friday night to the production "Greased"! It was a lot of fun with 11 other fabulous ladies. We hit the road bright and early Saturday morning for Grande Prairie. We got there at noon, so we had plenty of time to visit. The kids did alright... Colby was fine, but Jenna is not a great traveller. She hardly napped at all, so that didn't help. It was great to visit with Gerry's Grandma and Grandpa Alstad for a few hours, then to see both of Gerry's sisters for a little while too. We had a nice dinner with Gerry's mom and she took us out for ice cream after dinner! Colby loved it and had his strawberry sundae up to his elbows!! Jenna enjoyed her first little taste of ice cream on her soother... thanks, Grandma! :) After the kids were in bed, Gerry and I headed over to Carmen and Darren's house for a visit. They were having a block party, but it was nice to see them and their close neighbor friends. The kids were up bright and early on Sunday morning (sorry Grandma and Grandpa!!) and we went to watch Dylan's baseball game. Colby LOVES Dylan and had a great little picture afterwards with him... "on the baseball field". He thought that was pretty neat! We visited with Kathy and the kids back at the house and then hit the highway just after noon. The kids did much better on the way home... leaving just before nap time was definitely key! :)

We got home, unpacked, and then headed over to my parents' house for a Father's Day dinner with my family. Happy Father's Day to all of the Dad's in our lives! We love you!!

I always knew that Gerry was great with kids... nieces, nephews, and kids of our friends. But it is amazing to see him every day with our own children! He is such an wonderful, caring, loving, and fun daddy and I know Colby and Jenna are so incredibly lucky to have you in their lives! You are truly wonderful Ger... we all love you so very much!! xoxo

Have a great week, everyone!

Lesley

Loving life!

Some fun events in our lives lately...

- Kristy and I took the kids to the International Children's Festival in St. Albert. Colby LOVED riding the bus, seeing "real" firemen and a fire truck, seeing all the people, and watching Bobs and Lolo on stage for a bit. I hope to go next year... he was still a bit young for it this year.

- I had the pleasure of attending the 2010 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards Gala. It was a great event and I'm so proud of Jen, who won this year's award in the category of Athletics, Recreation, and Fitness!

- Farmer's Days 2010!! To follow tradition, we watched the parade and had a BBQ at my parents' house after on Saturday. Colby loved the parade and enjoyed seeing the floats, horses, tractors, police cars, and the fire trucks! It was too late to head to the grounds on Saturday afternoon, so we went on Sunday instead. It was great! Very well laid-out this year and Colby had a blast on a few of the rides and the Kids' Zone! I'm really glad we went and look forward to more festivals this summer... I LOVE going to the Street Performer's Festival, so can't wait for that!

- Group Camping Weekend! Again, to follow tradition, my entire family went with the entire Schram family for our annual camping weekend. It is so special that we still all keep in contact and are close after growing up with the three great Schram girls! We are all so close in age and now have kids very close in age too! Between the six of us girls, we have 10 children... with 9 of them being 3 years of age and younger!! Whew! It was busy! We had a group site at Wabamun Provincial Park and had 10 RV's there. It was such a wonderful weekend... great weather, great company, great fun for the kids (without having to worry about anyone being on the road!), great food, and of course, great drinks!! :) Mental note... take more shooters next year!!

- We are driving to Grande Prairie on Saturday morning for an overnight visit with Gerry's family. I'm looking forward to seeing Gerry's family (the last time we saw them was at New Year's). We're hoping to see Gerry's Grandma and Grandpa as well, celebrate Kourtney and Dylan's birthdays, and take in one of Dylan's baseball games! Colby's pretty excited to go and stay at Grandma's... he has his Thomas suitcase packed already!

Update on our babies...

- I really shouldn't call them both "our babies" anymore... but it's a habit I need to work on. (Yes, I still often call Colby my baby boy!) Colby is busier than ever these days! He's loving that our fence is finally finished and playing outside with friends, Jenna and Mom. Colby's last day of "I'm Big Enough for Preschool" was last week. I think he is sure going to miss his teachers! They had a little party and had a cookie to decorate with icing and sprinkles. He helped himself to just the icing though, so needless to say, he was a bit "wired" for the rest of the day!! He was getting out of his naps for a while, but now he's been falling asleep almost instantly at nap time. While the two hour nap is welcomed by Mom, a difficult bed time is not! It is taking longer and longer for him to fall asleep, going to sleep pretty late, and then getting up earlier! Hopefully we can figure it out soon and move out of this difficult transition time... He's getting to the "Why?" stage! Everything has a "Why, Mom?" attached to it! He's enjoying playing with Jenna more now that she's moving, but occasionally gets annoyed that she likes to follow him around. I love it when he gets her going with laughter! It's so cute! He does love his baby sister and worries when she's upset. He will often go up to her and say, "What's wrong, Jenna?" or "Why is Jenna crying?" Usually a kiss and/or hug foll0ws to help make her happy again. Awe! Maybe they'll still be best buds in 10 years?!? ;)

Colby excited with his new "deca-ations" in his room...Mud? What mud?! Before outdoor shower after driving dump trucks through the mud while camping...

- Jenna is our happy little baby girl. She is usually quite happy except when dinner and bath/bed time is nearing. Later on in the afternoon, she often wants to be held and isn't happy being on the ground playing. While I enjoy our snuggles, it's often difficult to make dinner and everything at this time of the day! As I mentioned, she is a girl on the move! She's been "creeping" around for quite a while now, but officially began crawling last Sunday in the trailer. Still this week, she'll crawl for a little bit, then plop down to her tummy and continue. I think she knows she's faster with her creeping still! :) She is now pulling herself up on things, which has caused us to do some major baby-proofing again. She pulls up to laundry baskets, toy boxes, even the TV stand. Since she has always loved to stand since being a newborn, I think she might be "cruising" in no time. She loves to watch... everything! Especially Colby! She tries to follow him around the house, particularly when he's racing cars on the floor. She laughs when he does and grabs at everything, including his arms, hair, feet, everything! Another little quirk... she kind of has a shoe fetish! Yes, at the age of 9 months, she is obsessed with shoes and has been for a while. Those close to me blame it on me!! :) Wherever we are, she'll find shoes and chew on them! This annoys Colby when she's chewing on his slippers... while they're on his feet!! LOL! As I said, she's nearly 9 months old (early next week) and is doing really well. She is sleeping much better lately and not waking up in the very early morning hours anymore. Thank goodness!! She eats quite a bit, so I'm curious to know how much she weighs now. I will take her in next week to check it out!
Daddy and his girl... (yes, she is most always chewing on something!!)...

I'm taking in every moment of being at home in my last few months of maternity leave. Then it's back to the real world of a full-time working mom. I'm a bit nervous about teaching full-time with two small children now, but I know it will all work out... with balance. That's key, I think!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Enjoy the beautiful weather on the way again!

xoxo
Lesley