Gymnastics camp.

I enrolled Grace this past week in a fun gymnastic camp. She is naturally really athletic, and really enjoys any type of activity. From been a very young age she was always climbing at the park, swinging, can throw a ball further than I can! So I thought this would be fun. It was at the local Gymnasium. She was there from 9-12 and loved it. They did different activities and things with the kids. She is already taking swimming lessons, which she really enjoys too. I do not want to overschedule my kids with a bunch of activities, but yet i want them to experience different things and learn new things. PLUS they don't fight with each other if they are busy! haha. It's hard to know as a parent what things you choose to do with them, and how often etc etc. I already told Dayna that when my kids are old enough they are playing the Piano, it's not an option! lol The pictures are a little dark..sorry!

Boating at St Mary's

Friends of ours bought a boat recently, and invited us to go boating with them this weekend. It was so fun. A little scary at time ( i will tfill you in on that in a second). I am not the biggest fan of water at all. I knew that this would be fun, so i packed up a picnic and off we went. The boat was so fun. They had these seated tube things, with 3 seats, Grace wanted to go out with Dayna and Hayden our friends son. So i was on the boat with the other kids, and they were been pulled along, when all of a sudden it literally sunk, it was the weirdest thing i have ever seen. Grace got flung off into the cold water, by herself. Before i could even scream, Dayna dived off and got to her. The tube did go over her and push her back under for a second. Dayna said he wasn't scared until he got to the back of the boat and she still wasn't up, but a second later, there she was. Coughing, spluttering and LAUGHING, asking if she could go back in. I was shaking, nausious, and trying not to cry!!! THEN a few hours later, we were all just relazing onthe boat, Ethan kept looking over with Dayna and stood on the wooden bench at the back of the boat, then i hear 'splash' and then dayna leaning over fishing out Ethan who had toppled over. UGH, he was too laughing. Seriously, my heart could not take it. Even though we all had life jackets on, i was scared! Apart from that we all did have fun! lol

Ellas cute cute bob

So yesterday i took Ella to get her hair cut. It was getting long, but bone straight and a little stragly at the ends. She always had food in it! lol So i got a cute bob.. love it

Ella is home!

Ella spent 3 nights with her grandparents, she has never been away from me this long. It was hard on me, but she LOVED it, and didn't seem sad to be away!. IT was kinda nice that there was no fighting with Ethan! lol But i'm sure glad she is home!!! No more long trips for a while!

**and look at her shirt, soo dirty, this girl can't keep clean to save her life, SOO different from Grace.. I LOVE IT ***! lol

Happy Father's Day

We really celebrated most of it on Saturday. Dayna's parents came in, and we had a nice dinner etc. On Sunday morning, Grace cut and coloured a bunch of hearts and we stuck them inthe shower, then Grace told her dad to look in there ( so much for a suprise) ahah. We went to church and Grace was singing with the primary, as i looked when she was going up to the stand, there was Ella going on right up there with her! I guess she won't be scared next year when she goes to sunbeams. We came home and had dinner and chilled. Dayna is such a great dad. He plays so much with the kids, he never says no to hide n seek, playing on the trampoline, or anything. He's put me to shame on this! lol He so different from me in so many ways, but we work well together! He's such a sweetheart.

sleeping beauties!

Ella finally arrived home on Saturday after been at her grandparents for a few days. I was so happy to have her home. I took his pic on saturday night, sooo happy to have them both sleeping under my roof again!

My sister Abi

I just wanted to show this gorgeous picture of my sister Abi. Isn't she beautiful. Abi came to live with my family as a foster child when I was on my mission. The day I got home, she asked " when are you going back"! I guess she was a little scared of me coming home, incase there wasn't room for her. She was only about 5 at the time! She was soo cute, and I fell in love with her then! My parents fostered her for years, and then we finally got permission to adopt her. It takes YEARS in the UK. WE finally got her sealed to us about 3 years ago. She actually was sealed in the Cardston Temple. Since my parents & I are the only active members of my family ( my other 2 sisters are not active), we thought it would be great to do it here, when they came over for Ella's blessing. So that was so great. She was also taught the discussions from Dayna when she was 8! Thats how my family got to know him pretty well, though i didn't know him at all really back then.

so anyways.. she is turning 18 soon!, i can't beleive it!

My doula Training

As some of you know, I recently decided to do something for myself. i have been searching for that something for awhile, and the second I saw it I KNEW!!! I wanted to be a Doula. Now some of you are asking, What the heck is a doula.. so here is an explanation.

What is a doula?
The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily

WHY WOULD I USE ONE?
Women have complex needs during childbirth and the weeks that follow. In addition to medical care and the love and companionship provided by their partners, women need consistent, continuous reassurance, comfort, encouragement and respect. They need individualized care based on their circumstances and preferences.
DONA International doulas are educated and experienced in childbirth and the postpartum period. We are prepared to provide physical (non-medical), emotional and informational support to women and their partners during labor and birth, as well as to families in the weeks following childbirth. We offer a loving touch, positioning and comfort measures that make childbearing women and families feel nurtured and cared for.

Now i know from my 3 birthing experiences. That 1) all of them were different 2) I KNOW without a doubt, especially with Ella's birth, I could have benefited from having a doula. Now firstly i want everyone to know, that we are not saying the dads suck! We are not, Dayna was great in labour, and I could not have done it without him been there. But he was not sure what he was supposesd to do or his role. And wouldn't it have been great for both of us, if he didn't have to worry about 'coaching' and doing and saying the right thing, but just be there for me, with no worries. Plus, then i didn't have to worry about what he was worrying about!! With Ella's birth, It was very strong and very fast, and I was seriously out of control. I could hear myself and i was thinking what am i doing. Dayna was shocked and didn't have a clue how to respond. I was hysterical, and just having someone there, who knew how to calm me, who knew some things that would get me through...ooohh i would have been bliss! lol

So i took the course, it was long, and intense, but so rewarding, emotional, and just right for me. I can now attend births :) I have to have 3 births as part of my certification. Until i get some experience the charge will be very minimal. So if you know anyone who wants a Doula, pretty much free of charge, give me a call!! In lethbridge right now the rates for Doula's is $500-600 per birth. In Calgary $900 per birth. So my rates right now... SWEET! lol

Anyways, I truly am thrilled to be doing this.

A family walk!

Dayna didn't have to work today, so we packed up the kids and drove a few minutes to Pavan Park to walk one of the trails. It was soo fun. Ella was sad that she didn't see rabbits? and Ethan was happy picking up sticks, and it made Graces Day that she got to ride her bike everywhere! I love days like this, when we are together as a family, just chilling out, no stresses, the kids can just wander around, and it's not too hot/cold!! I love my little family. They are growing up so fast. Ethan was our last baby, and i feel like i just had him, but when i look at him i wonder where the time has gone!

Grace's Pre-school graduation!

Where has the time gone. Grace graduated pre-school yesterday. She has had the most amazing time at 'Noah's Ark'. I cannot say enough about them. The owner Mrs Slomp truly loves these little children. She was ontihng but amazing with working with Grace on her speech and her OCD. We became good friends, and i knew Grace was in the best possible hands, Grace has been there for 2 years now. She had a late November birthday, so I decided not to send her to Kindergarden last year. She will start this September.. yikes! Her grad was so cute, they made little books with lots of pictures they had taken over the past year, and then gave her a certificate, we then had treats, stories, and they sang some songs. Of course I was emotional, thats me! lol But not to worry, Ella starts there in September!

ugh gross!

So, I was kindly woken up by Ella this morning, she had her face next to mine and said " mommy, i dont eat my boogers anymore, i know how to flick them" sooo gross ella~

She's so cute!

I picked up this dress for my brother in law & his fiances wedding. Grace LOVES it. Then she asked " can you buy me another dress exactly the same, so i can wear this one now".. too cute.. i said NO, she has to wait til the wedding! lol. I got it on clearance for $20 from Winners.. score!

buzzzzzzzzzzzz

So, Dayna has been asking me for awhile if he can buzz Ethans hair. I have always said NO!, but he asked me this week, and i said OK ( since his hair grows super fast). But I LOVE it. it's so easy, well i do NOTHING.!! He looks sooo muich older to me. I put these pics on facebook, adn everyone has said how much he looks like my dad!.. so cute! lol

oh, and Dayna taught him to drink the milk from the bowl.. NAUGHTY dad!

A trip to the ZOO!!

On tuesday, we got up and thought it was a perfect day to go to the zoo. We already had tickets, so I sent Dayna to the store to get some snacks, i packed, and off we went. It was sooo much fun. The first hour was a little bleh, Ethan refused to sit in his stroller, he didn't nap on the way there, so he was pretty grumpy. I was like " I KNEW we should not have brought him" i was getting a little annoyed! But then i just let him do his own thing, he just wandered around, and ended up having a blast!!! He didn't quite get that he could look at an animal and move on to another, when we tried to take him away, he cried and cried, until he saw another one. he caught on pretty quickly though!!

The weather was perfect, and it wasn't very busy, compared to when we have been before.

WE saw Elephants, tigers, bears, hippo, giraffes, lions, monkeys ( with a brand new baby... it was out favourite thing), koala, kangaroo, oohhh it was sooo fun. One of the funest famiyl trips we have taken. the REALLY sad thing was, I brought out my camera, and then realised I had left my memory card int he computer at home.. i was sooo sad. But i stole these pics from my friend Kari's blog ( is that ok, Kari)!, she was there this week too! lol

After that, we went to visit Dayna's sister and her family. It was lovely to hang out with them, and visit with Brigham, he's sooo cute, and growing like a weed. We had dinner with them, and then took all the kids to the park, and then came home. It was 8pm when we left, and , my kids go to bed at 7, so the 2 little ones were asleep before we even drove 4 blocks. Grace stayed awake the whole way home, we were soo shocked. We stopped off and grabbed some drinks, and had a nice 2 hr drive home. really was a great day.

Fishing!

Dayna bought the girls fishing rods last week, and Saturday morning came, and at 8am he was running around shouting, everyone get ready we are going fishing in 20 minutes.. SUCH A GUY thing to do, it takes me 20 minutes to pack my diaper bag. But he insisted we would grab breakfast on the way, jsut grab some juice boxes and lets go. So we did, i realised half way there, we had not even brushed the kids hair!!! well since it was sat morning EARLY, i didn't think we would see anyone!

We went to a lake near by, and fished, it was soo fun, the girls loved it, though we didn't catch anything, we had a few bites, and Dayna loved every second of it. I had the task of entertaining Ethan which was quite the task!! he's at a crazy age! But we had fun, and all enjoyed it. Ethan had more fun sneaking the marsmallows out of the bag!!! Lots more fishing trips i am sure this summer!!

oh which one should i choose?

Ok, I seem to be at a stand still with my weight loss. I lost so much last year, and this year, I can't seem to lose a dang thing. So, with by Brother in law getting married in September, i decided to get my butt in gear, and lose at least 20lbs. I have found this great place with wonderful modest dresses. So this will be my reward, new dress, new shoes, purse, you get the idea!! Now which should i choose?

The day had arrived...

Look at that lip! lol

Handsome boy!

Getting his hair done with daddy

Ethan turned 18 months old. I was SOOO excited. Ethan got to go to nursery in church. No more hall walking. I wanted him to look like a big boy, he was dressed in his 1st shirt & tie, yes, I know, I am a dork!! He looked so handsome. I cannot belive that he is 18 months already. He is such a joy, and a stinker too. Seriously, he climbs everywhere. Growing up with no brothers, I didn;t know what to expect. He is in to EVERYTHING. He's so darn cute though, and WAAY more cuddly than the girls were. He loves to come up and give hugs ans kisses. SO anyways.. off to nursery he went and had a good time, he was a little shy and even cried for a second but then was happy. I think it helped that Ella is still in there too. I got to enjoy all my meeting :)

Mother day

Sorry, this is a bit late, i lost my camera there for ahwile!
Well i had a lovely day. Dayna let me sleep in, then woke me up to breakfast in bed! Sorry about the terrible pic, but yeah, whatever! lol
We got the girls ready for church and then tackled Ethan, it was the best gift ever, Ethan went to nursery for the 1st time. I actually got to go to my lessons and not walk the halls for 3 hours! Dayna made dinner, cleaned up, and what an angel all day!. I Love been a mom, the best thing ever :)

Mothers day @ pre-school.

Yesterday was Grace's annual Mothers day Tea. It was too cute. They had little tables set up with chocolates and cupcakes out. The children took us to the tables, we got to eat a snack, they sang songs, and poems, and said Happy mothers day 1000 times ( sooo cute), and then we all ate a lovely lunch. They presented us with photo phrames with pictures of us with our children, and the questionaire below ( this is my fav part)

Grace's talks!

What is your moms name : Heidi

What makes your mom special: she is very pretty ( ooohhh bless her heart)

How old is your mom: 18 ( BONUS)

What color is your moms hair: orangy brown

What color are your moms eyes: brown

What is your moms favourite colour: yellow

What is your moms favourite book: all of them

What does your mom like to do: watch TV ( oh, thanks alot Grace)!!!

What does your mom like to play: she likes to play cards ( mmmhhh not really)

Where does your mom like to eat: Humpty's ( ROFL)

Who is the boss of your house: my mum and dad

how cute hey! i love these things!

I'm home safe and sound!

He didn't like this ride! lol

me & my sister Kelly

Little Ava

My dad & Ethan

My parents

Well it's been awhile, but I had so much fun in England. The journey there wasn't too bad. Ethan was pretty well behaved and slept for 3 hours. The pilot also got us in there an hour early, sooo nice!. Jet lag was the hardest part with Ethan, he didnt sleep very well at all whilst we were there, but he was such a good boy, and loved visiting with Everyone. I finally met my niece Ava, oh she's as cute as can be, i could not get enough of her. She looks soo much like my sister when she was a baby. Ethan & Ava played really well together, i wished they lived here!

On Saturday we went to the ocean, what a great day. 2 of my 3 sisters came with their families too, and we had such a fun time onthe beach, at the fun fair, playing in the sand and eating lots of good things.

I also got to visit with my friends, it was such a fun night, reminissing about our youth days, and the stuff we got upto back then. I didn't get home til1am, and Ethan woke at 6.. ugh, i am soo old, i can't handle those days anymore!!!

I was so worried about my passport issue, but it went well, mainly because Ethan threw up the WHOLE way home. I am not kidding, as soon as we boarded he fell asleep, i was like SWEET, then when we took off, he opened his eyes and threw up and didn't stop. I have never stunk so bad in my whole life I was covered from head to toe literally. I was soo worried with the whole swine flu, luckily we had a row to ourselves, which was good otherwise people next to me would have been covered too. Again we got in 1 hr early, and as i was waiting in customs, he started again, and so they rushed me through, i was sooo happy to see Dayna & the girls, i just burst into tears, i think it was a stress reliever. I kept it together on the flight. The next morning, i took him to the Er convinced he had swine flu, they are so good, rushed me striaght back, and all had masks on, the poor thing has a doble ear infection & throat infection. He's doing soo much better now.

So a dramatic finish to the week, but it was so great, i loved it.