HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!

I can't believe you are 6 years old already!

More pics and a longer post to come with lots of new pictures from my new camera which I am lovin!

One more day till school starts! I remember dreading this day as a kid but I am so excited for this day now as an adult! Aidan is getting very bored at home and even though I have kept him busy as much as I could, he is still very ready to go back to school.
Last week seemed to fly by very quickly. I drove out to Boissevain with just the kids and Steve stayed here because of work. It would have been a very long week if I didn't get them out of the house.
Granny had the few days we were there packed with things to do. When we arrived we had hoped to go to Lake Aidan to skate and tobogan but the wind was so terrible. Grandpa still gave the kids a sled ride behind the snowmobile along with there cousins Maddy and Olivia.

We then headed into town where we went to the Wildlife museum for the first time ever. The kids thought it was pretty neat.



Then a stop at the train museum which was a hit especially with Aidan. Who know there were things like this in good old Boissevain.

The next day started with an early morning dip in the hot tub, although when you have Aidan, Cassidy and Liam in a hot tub there is no time for relaxing since they instantly turn it into a swimming pool, complete with diving board.

Granny then had arranged for the kids to go visit the neighbors farm. Granny and Grandpa live on a grain farm, and the neighbors have all kinds of animals so this was pretty new for the kids to see. The enjoyed a tractor ride and got to feed all the animals. Cassidy was quite taken with the cats and couldn't get enough of them. I would love to get her a kitten of her own but Aidan is allergic.






We headed home on friday night and I am now still trying to get the house back in order before regular schedule starts tomorow. Aidan's birthday is in a little over a week and we have grandparents comeing in on the weekend, along with a party the following week for his school friends. I am sure January will fly by like any other month. As much as it is hard to think about a birthday right after Christmas, I do love that we have something to focus on to get us through the month of January. I always said, once we are through January, Febuaury is a short month and then we are almost to spring.

And for some last great news, these pictures were the last pictures taken from my old camera, which I said goodbye to the other day. I had a phone call that my camera will arrive tomorow!!

a glimpse of 2007

I really wanted to mail out a christmas newsletter with our christmas picture this year. But, getting christmas cards in the mail was hard enough so I decided just to blog it.
Another year has flown by. I feel like it was just yesterday we were celebrating our first Christmas in Winnipeg.

January was a cold but busy month. Aidan turned 5 years old and we had a party to celebrate. He continued his year at Springs Christian Academy prechool and really enjoyed it.
February marked my 26th birthday. I really thought I was older this year, because I sure feel old! Aidan and Cassidy were able to spend some time at the farm with Granny and Grandpa and Steve took two weeks off from work.

Spring time Steve started his trips to Calgary for training for one week each month. Aidan started his first year of soccer. He played a few games every week and loved it.


May brought two birthdays. Steve turned 28 and Liam turned 2. We had a balloon party for Liam with the family.


In the month of June, Aidan had his graduation from preschool and they had a special cereomy to celebrate.


I also ran the Manitoba Half Marathon. This was the first time I have ever done this. I started training in March and 13 miles seemed impossible then, but I was able to do it and am still running faithfully, and have become to enjoy winter running.
The summer was busy as it always seems to be. We spent a few weekends camping at St.Malo, one time with the Keown family to celebrate Grandma's big 50! We headed to the waterpark in portage, tinkertown and the zoo. I don't think there was a weekend we weren't busy.






Aidan and Cassidy also went for two weeks of swimming lessons.

Liam and I also headed to Calgary with Steve for one of his training weeks. The other two kids stayed with Grandma and Grandpa in Brandon. I had a great time and it was such a break with only one kid. We took a trip to Banff, to the zoo, museum, and of course Ikea (a couple times) I was also able to have lunch with my sister Jamie and her family who were there for a couple of days. It was good to see them.




The kids had a blast at the grandparents!
The week before we went to Calgary we decided we were going to go ahead and list the house to sell. We just had a few unfinished projects. Originally we had bought this house to renovate and sell and debated whether we should stay there longer. We both really wanted to move near Aidan's school and in a quiet neighborhood, and of course more space!

When we arrived home from Calgary our home was for sale. We had a weekend of showings and it sold instantly. We are so blessed with how much we got and began looking for another house.

Little did we know that finding a house like the one we had in mind, in the area we wanted would be next to impossible. It took many sleepless nights, weeks of looking, hours spend with our realitor and 6 offers until we finally got our new house. God defiantly opened the doors here and gave us favor with our offer.
Also, getting this house proved to be a God thing in many ways. I remember specifically praying one day that a house, in a specific area, with specific price and square footage would come on the market. Minutes after I had checked my email to find this one had come on the market. When we went through it I hated it, but Steve made me go through it again cauze I think we both kind of knew it was the one. With some hard work it has come along way and I LOVE the space.
September was a month of firsts. Aidan started kindergarten at Calvin Christian School. He attends for full days every monday and wensday and every second friday. He was very eager to start and got into routine instantly. He has made many friends and is quite the little social butterfly.
Cassidy started preschool at Brazier Nursery School. She also loves it and has many new friends. She goes three afternoons a week.
I also started babysitting a one year old boy Nathan three days a week. The adjustment of haveing another one in the house hasn't been too difficult and the extra money is nice. Liam likes haveing a playmate when the others are at school.
Cassidy turned 4 at the end of the month and we had 14 young kids over to celebrate. Insane!

We also had new renters move into our house in Brandon, and being the first time we have had a switchover we are thankful it all ran smoothly. We were very overwhelmed for the demand for rental houses in Brandon and got to choose from many people who to put in there. So far everything is working out excellent.
October 12th we moved into our new house. We instantly started renovating. The house had some mold issues we were not aware of and thanks to good insurance were able to take care of it. We have already done tons of work but still have lots more we want to do.
Christmas time rolled around again. We were busy with parties, concerts and all the hustle and bustle of the season. We thank God for all he has done and blessed us with this year. I always think it is amazing to look back and to see where we have come from a year ago. We praise God for the kids and that they have already started there own walk with Christ and there eagerness and openess to know more.


I feel very settled and used to Winnipeg. We really enjoy our church and have met lots of great people. We are involved in a small group. Steve is involved on worship team and I work in the nursery. The kids love sunday school.
Steve is still working mon-frid with Canada post as a relief supervizor, not sure what he does but I am sure if you ask him he will make it sounds important! We are so relieved he no longer works weekends and his Calgary trips are done.
I am busy at home with the kids, running them here and there. It is usually a busy household with sometimes 4 kids (on the days Nathan is here) My other two loves besides me family (and God of course) would be photography and running. I am so excited to get my new camera and although I am still intimated by the photography of others, I am faithfully learning and maybe soon will find time to share my skills, or at least use them for something.
This Christmas the kids were so excited with the Christmas story and many times I found them playing 'baby Jesus' with there dolls and stuffed animals and even constructed a small manger. I often wonder how one has a hard time believing in a God but to a child it comes so simple, and so natural. Cassidy and Aidan have also both made a special commitment and asked Jesus into there lives. They are very open about knowing Jesus and already have a concern for those that don't have a relationship with him. What a true example of the faith of a child.

Many times this year I found myself feeling as though life was on fast forward and just wanting to hit the pause button. Many times I wish I would have sat back and took the time to enjoy that moment in time.
I am so thankful we found a wonderful school for Aidan and that the starting school experience wasn't too hard on him, or me. Exactly a year ago I was still stressing out about where he would go to school, and things just fell naturally in to place.
I am so thankful Cassidy is no longer afraid of being away from Mommy and daddy and loves her preschool. Over the past year she has become a very talkative and grown up little girl who always seems to come up with big words.
I am so thankful Liam is potty trained! Diapers will never be on my shopping list again!
May God bless everyone in the coming year and may we never forget what he has done for us. God sure is good.