Dear Family & Friends

Happy New Year!!!!! Wow, it is so hard to believe this is the last year of 2008. Time certainly goes by quickly and days turn into seasons it leaves us wondering, where did the time go? This past year has been a challenging one for my family and I. We certainly had our ups and downs and made many mistakes but thank God for his mercy and forgiveness. He is so wonderful to pick us up when we are down and bring us back to a road of peace and happiness in Him. He is a loving God and I am so happy to know him in such a deep and intimate way.

As I look over the past year, I realize I am BLESSED. Truly Blessed. God had brought so much joy into my life. I am excited about what the new year holds for my family and I. We have made a lot of changes in the past few weeks and have seen some tremendous results. We have grown closer and are now making God the center of our home on a daily basis. I am so thankful that I have a loving, caring, forgiving Husband and such wonderful children. They are so precious to me and with each passing moment I grow to love them more and more. I still try to find those teachable moments with them and take the time to spend individual time with them as well.

I have to say. I am so glad 2008 is almost over with!!! It was a rough year and I don't care to go back there! I am choosing to leave it in the past where it belongs and start fresh and new. I am determined to learn from my mistakes and not repeat them. We all make mistakes, we all fall and do things we shouldn't do. The important thing is to go to God for direction and purpose. He will guide you every step of the way if you'll let him. This past year made me take a good hard look at myself and the end result was ...I didn't like what I saw. I didn't like who I had become during the year of 2008 and I was not happy because somewhere along the way I had taken my eyes of God and put them on things that I thought were important. My relationship with God suffered because of it. My faith in God was shaken and everyone in my family were innocent bystanders of the windfall in the choices I made. For that I am so sorry. Thank God, he saw fit to rescue me just in time and set me back on the straight and narrow :)

To my family and friends, I am sorry if I hurt you this past year in any way. If my actions or words caused you hurt or anger, I am truly sorry. My prayer for 2009 is that I take captive every thought and allow my words to heal rather than hurt. To bless rather than curse and to love rather than judge. I pray that you all have peace, love, joy and happiness in the new year and that God blesses you beyond measure. We are keeping you all daily in our thoughts and prayers.

We are out with the old and in with the new!!!!!!! YIPEEEEEEEEEE

Christmas Drama's

Our 3 oldest Children have been involved in Drama Club at the Church and on Dec 14th had the opportunity to present a drama written and directed by one of my Best Friends Amanda Moss. She also did the painting of Mary and Joseph in the following Photo. This was the display at the back of the church for the drama entitled "Jesus, Lord at Thy Birth" It was very well written and the children all did a fantastic job on their parts. The angel visits Mary...Angel played by our Pastors son and Mary by our daughter, Rachael.The angel visits the Shepard's... Reuben, our son is the Shepard in the blue.Hannah our Daughter was an angel...she is on the end with her arms raised.
Back Row Angels: Hannah our daughter, our Pastors son, and our cousin's son.

Front Row: Amanda's brother, and our Daughter Rachael.
We are very proud of our children for participating in this Drama. Remember, Jesus is the reason for the Season!

Sunday School Concert 2008


Alex was Joseph he is in the manger beside the girl in blue and Emily is the first angel on the left. They were so cute doing their part with their class :)

Hannah doing her part in the Concert
Rachael with her sign on the Sweetness of Christmas.
Reuben with his class...He absolutely refused to wear a suit to the concert LOL Said it wouldn't be cool *sigh* (I wanted him to dress right up)
It is such a busy time of year with Concerts, drama's and banquets. We did manage to get away to see the Drama my parents were involved in at their church. They did a fantastic job and we had the opportunity to see friends and family we hadn't seen in a long time.

What a BLIZZARD

♫ Oh the weather outside is frightful......but this fire is so delightful.......♫

The Christmas Holidays started out with a good ole Canadian Blizzard! According to news reports this will be the first time since the 70's that there will be a white Christmas from one end of Canada to the other!! We got hit hard...lots of ice, snow and wind. Here are a few pictures of the Blizzard of 08!

This was the beginning of the blizzard around 7 pm!

By midnight...it looked like this!
The next morning, we found out that a lot of people had no power for over 11 hours and we had no phone service. Hubby's work was cancelled and this was around 8am when he tried to snow blow the driveway a bit. You can just barely see the snow blower in this pic.

Here he was trying to dig out our van in case he got called to work. It was a complete white out for a while. The wind was howling and snow mixed with ice pelted down on him as he tried to clean the yard some. I am blessed that I have a Hubby that will take care of things like this for us. It was so cold!

Hubby came to the door looking like Jack Frost...or the abominable Snowman LOL. Hard to believe he and his 3 brothers drove to Quebec later that day to pick up their other brother from the airport to bring him home to NB in time for Christmas! Thank God that they made it safely home and had no mishaps along the way. My other brother in law (my sister's hubby...was stranded in Toronto for 2 days trying to get a flight home for Christmas!)

You know it's a bad storm when your glasses are stuck to your face with ice!!

Ice built up on Hubby's glasses after we had taken some off!

We are so thankful and fortunate that we all survived this blizzard and that God's protection was upon our loved ones as they travelled the highways in this storm. Thank you to everyone who kept Hubby and his brother's in their prayers as they travelled home. They were a pretty tired bunch when we picked them up in Freddy LOL

Those Special Moments

It is not often in our busy lives that time seems to stand still however, just for a short while tonight that happened for me. The last couple of weeks have been hectic with shopping, concerts, practices etc and in the midst of all of that the Twins and I got very sick. I could feel that dreaded emotion of being overwhelmed creeping up on me today when I thought of all the things I didn't get done yet as I lay in bed with a raging fever. Despite the fact I was sick, I still wanted to get some things done around the house. Tonight however, we decided that instead of cleaning up we would just enjoy the evening and watch a movie together as a family. It was so nice to relax with the children and snuggle together as the movie played on. It was in that moment that it seemed like time stood still. The moment where the children were giggling and snuggling closer as they enjoyed the antics of 6 little puppies that made me wish I could stay there forever.

We rented the movie Snow Buddies tonight. It's a great family movie....a cute and cuddly kind of movie. The children really liked it and even though it wasn't a cartoon, the Twins sat and watched it all the way through. I cherish every moment I get with the children and at times I look at them and just can't believe how fast they are growing up. I am so thankful for those little moments where you swell with love for them. The moments when they give you a homemade card or picture with their faces beaming with joy as they watch your reaction upon reading the card. The moments when they take one of their toys and wrap it up as a gift for you because they love you so much they wanted you to have it. Moments of laughter, tears and even anger. Moments that are filled with little personality traits unique to who they are. When they say things like, "Your the best Mommy in the world, your the prettiest mommy...your my little Mommy etc.." Moments of hugs, kisses. acting silly and dancing together. Such moments will be cherished forever in my heart.

I love this time of year because I am such a family gal. I love spending time with our families. I am especially looking forward to visiting with my grandparents. I am so thankful and appreciative that they are still here with us and fortunate that I have had all my grandparents living to enjoy this Christmas. We had a little scare this fall with Grammie Moss's health but she pulled through and is doing great. That made me realize that I needed to create more moments with them and to never take their health for granted. How many people are lucky enough to have their grandparents with them in their 30's? I am truly blessed :) I can never take enough pictures of them. They are so special to me.

My husband's Grandmother just celebrated her 90th birthday this past summer and we are excited about going to see her this Christmas as well. Our children have a rich heritage and we thank God for that. Visiting with family over the holidays is the highlight of each Christmas. Incase I don't get a chance to update this blog before Christmas I want to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Remember......Jesus is the reason for the season!!!!

~*~ Catching Snowflakes ~*~

Our 3 youngest creating a childhood memory as they try to catch a snowflake in the first 'real' snowstorm :)

Christmas All Aglow

~♫~It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
everywhere we go...~♫~

This familiar carol serenades us as we decorate and trim the house for our favorite Holiday of the year. I love decorating and sometimes have the tendency to go overboard but hey, what a great time to take advantage of this decorative urge I have. Every time I go out shopping for gifts I get distracted and spend a long time in the Christmas Decor aisles and each time I resist the temptation to buy another item to make our house look more Christmasy!

I love the soft glow that the Christmas lights bring. It's so warm and inviting. They create such a cozy, peaceful atmosphere at home. I love snuggling with my children by the tree that is all aglow. For my friends and family that live across Canada and on the other side of the world....here are a few pics of my hand at decorating this year :)

On the 7th Day

If you are at all familiar with the story of the creation in Genesis, you will know that on the 7th day God rested. For us, our 7th day is Sunday all though there isn't much resting going on. With 5 children who are amazingly wide awake in the afternoon, it is next to impossible for us to get any sleep let alone a time of 'resting'. We are left dreaming about how it used to be on those lazy Sunday afternoons and spend reality being busy parents. There is always something that needs tended to, a broken toy, ruffled feelings, sibling rivalry and so on. I am beginning to think that our children have these built in sensors that go off as soon as we put our feet up and begin to relax :) However, they are precious and it won't be long when we will be wishing we had these chaotic, noisy afternoons! It is amazing how fast time goes and how quickly they grow up.

Today is the first day of December. Wow!! That is hard to believe. We went into Freddy Sunday afternoon and it was bustling with Christmas shoppers. It was hard to find a parking space. We had intended on ordering our Son's glasses but they weren't open so we spent an hour walking mindlessly around the mall talking to friends we hadn't seen since this time last year. One of the things, I do enjoy about this season is running into the 'long time no see' friends at the mall. It's always a surprise as to who your going to run into. I think there will be quite a few trips to the mall before the big day on the 25th because I have barely started my Christmas shopping. I love this time of year and even enjoy the rush to get that last gift :)

Through the hustle and bustle of every Christmas Season, we make sure our children know that it is not about getting but rather giving. Even more importantly, it is a special time of year that we can set aside to honor the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. During the day, I try to find quiet moments with each of my children to teach them what I call a golden nugget from the Bible. This month, these golden nuggets will revolve around the true meaning of Christmas and when I can, I will find those quiet moments for myself even if it has to be after they are snuggled in their beds. It's in those quiet moments of reflecting on the word of God that I gain strength for tomorrow. If even God himself needed a time of resting, how much more do us humans need it? I crave those quiet moments when life is chaotic and I haven't given God some of my time. Naturally, in our flesh we need to sleep and to recharge our batteries, this also applies to our spirit as well. Too often, we allow our burdens to weigh us down sometimes to the point where we can't even remember how to lay them down at the foot of the cross and just rest in the arms of the one who loves us the most. He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and he is definitely big enough to carry your heavy burdens. He said in Mat 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

It is not in God's plan our lives for us to be stressed out and burnt out. If after 6 days of just speaking the world into existence, God rested we can be confidant that He wants the same for us. We all know that as the 25th gets closer, life is going to kick into high gear on the road of nonstop busyness. Christmas parties, concerts, banquets, shopping, hosting, visiting, travelling and the list goes on and on will rob us of our time. However, if we go into the season with our minds made up that it's ok to relax and ok to say no to some things, we may actually enJOY the season :) I encourage you to find those quiet moments, and I guarantee you...you won't regret it!

Comfort and Joy!

Our Christmas Tree 2008


What a beautiful day God has given us! There is still a slight dusting of snow on the ground outside and the air is crisp with winter on the horizon. Last night, I had the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping for the children. This is just the start. Every year I determine that I am going to start early and I do, however, the gifts usually end up as birthday presents or gifts for special occasions. Going shopping last night, with Christmas carols serenading me as I choose that perfect gift inspired me to come home and decorate for the season. This is what the end result was at 1am! The children have a tree that they decorate so when they got up this morning and saw the one in the living room...they started bugging me to get theirs out. However, Rachael is away visiting Grammie and so we have to wait for her to come home.

There has been no school the last couple of days and so I am trying to find things to amuse the children. They on the other hand just want to create a mess everywhere they go. Between coloring the white rungs on the staircase the other day with a purple crayon and today coloring the door they sure love making more work for me. :) I am just thanking God for Magic Erasers!! They don't last long at our house. I love my life and wouldn't trade my children for the world even though they try my patience at time. They are precious to me. And like God blessed Abraham and Sarah with laughter when he gave them Issac...he has blessed our home with laughter when he gave us our 5 sweet children. Laughter is good medicine. It's good for the soul mind and body. In this busyness of this Christmas Season..take time to laugh. Play the Ha..Ha game with your children and I guarantee you that you will split your sides laughing not too far into the game. I do that at the oddest moments during the day with my children. It definitely help to relieve stress. The bible talks about how the Joy of the Lord is our strength. This is the season of JOY it's there for the taking but not to hold onto...give it to the next person you meet! :)
♫ Oh tiding of comfort and joy.... ♫

Storeyland Updates

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to drop a line to say, HI and that I haven't forgotten about those of you who follow my blog on a regular basis. I tried to post a few that I had written and had problems with the web :(

In the last post I was sharing pics of the beautiful fall colors and now it's snowing. Today was the first official snowfall for our little neck of the woods. It's so beautiful but it wont last. Already the flakes are disintegrating as they hit the pavement. The kids were so excited that they've been playing outside all afternoon. I do believe Hot Chocolate and Cookies will be on the menu for snacks when they barrel in from making snow angels with cheeks all aglow.

In October, the children had a wonderful time picking out costumes for Halloween. They were very creative with their choices. We also had a scare in October when the house next door caught on fire and we had to evacuate our home.

In November, Reuben and Rachael were a part of the Remembrance Day ceremonies. They had joined the Navy League Cadets and were a part of the parade. What an honor for them.

Here we are...almost half way through November, the children got their report cards yesterday and we are so proud of their efforts. It's nice to see all those A's and B's. The twins are loving Preschool and have adjusted well to the change in their routine. We are in the process of finishing up some minor renovations before Christmas. It's hard to believe it is just around the corner. This year is almost over....where did the time go? Hope you all have a fantastic time getting ready for the holiday's...the snowfall today has put me in the mood for Christmas :) Mmmm....I wonder where I put my Christmas CD's...it will probably be valentines day before I find them all LOL

Here are a few pics of some adventures in Storeyland:

Halloween 2008





November 2008

Gorgeous Colors all Around!

Fall Colors ~Taken today by Jo

What a gorgeous fall day! I am thankful for every day the weather is crisp yet warm enough to be comfortable without a jacket. As I drove down our road this morning, the leaves were so pretty that I had to really concentrate to keep my eyes on the traffic. The beauty of the early morning sun reflecting on the colorful leaves overwhelmed me that I had to pull over and take a few pictures. I love my province this time of year. It is very picturesque. Everywhere you look you see the gorgeous masterpieces God creates with his eternal paintbrush. All I can say is WOW! To top it all off, He also painted a gorgeous sunset for us to enjoy. What inspiration for an empty canvass to a budding artist :)

Here are a few pics of what I see every morning on the way to preschool with the Twins:

Tonight's Sunset!!

I Am Blessed ~ Rachael Lampa

I love this song...it is one of my favorites. If your sound is on, it is the first song you will hear today as you read my blog. My playlist is located at the bottom of the blog if you want to hear it again. Here are the lyrics to such a wonderful song:

BlessedBy: Rachael Lampa

I may never climb a mountain,

So I could see the word from there.

I may never ride the waves,

And taste the salty ocean air.

Or build a bridge, That would last a hundred years.

But no matter where the road leads,

One thing is always clear....

(chorus)

I am blessed, I am blessed,

From when I rise up in the morning,

Till I lay my head to rest, And I feel you near me,

You sooth me when I'm weary.

Oh, Lord,For all the worst and all the best,

I am blessed.

All along the road less traveled,

I have crawled and I have run.

I have wandered through the winds and rains,

Until I found the sun.

But watching eyes, Asked me why,

I walk this narrow way, I will gladly give a reason,

For the hope I have today....

(chorus)

You've given me joy, You've given me love,

You give me stength, When I want to give up.

You came from heaven, To rescue my soul.

You are the reason, I know,I know.

(chorus)

For This...I am Thankful!

I am Blessed

I am Blessed

When I wake up in the Morning

Til I lay my head to Rest

I am Blessed

I am Blessed

On this beautiful Thanksgiving weekend, I want to take a moment to list 10 things I am thankful for:

#1. I am a child of God and he is my best friend

#2. I have a loving Husband and 5 wonderful children

#3. I have a great family and extended family

#4. I have true friends who walk in when the whole world walks out

#5. I am fortunate to have all my grandparents still alive and in good health.

#6. I have a wonderful pastor and wife, who guide me in my walk with God

#7. I am fortunate to be a stay @ home Mommy

#8. I have a nice home and food on the table

#9. I am blessed to live in such a great country

#10. Kisses, hugs, butterflies, kittens, puppies, flowers and the beautiful masterpieces God creates through nature....ETC :)

~♥~ Happy Thanksgiving ~♥~

Quench the Flame Before it Becomes a Fire!

Our children have been learning all about Fire Prevention this week. Tonight they got to attend a fun night at the Fire Hall and had fun learning techniques to prevent fires. They came home with their eyes shining and proudly showing everything that was in their treat bags. They got to tour the inside of the fire truck as well and had fun making a lot of noise. They even had the opportunity to put out a little fire. They were tired and went straight to bed when they got home. Rachael, however had a bad migraine so she wasn't able to attend.




As I think about the fun the other 4 had, my mind takes me back to when we were younger and my brother and our cousin set the field on fire. They were playing with matches and I can't recall what exactly happened but they came running in the house crying that there was a fire. Thankfully, it was dealt with before the house burned down. Needless to say, they were remorseful and to my knowledge never tried that again. LOL How ironic is it that my brother who help start that fire now puts them out as he is a volunteer fire fighter? Putting a full fledged fire out is no easy task and it usually takes more than one person.



Everyday in parenting I try to put out little flames before they become a full fledged fire. It may be a flame of jealousy, anger, name calling, bickering and fighting. Or maybe it was a flame of sadness, insecurity or frustration. Regardless of the flame, I try hard to look for teachable moments in raising my children. I want them to know that all though those feelings may be normal to have at times, they are not good feelings to hold onto. Sometimes, however, I am so busy putting their little flames out that I don't pay attention to my own flames that are smoldering in my life and the next thing I know I am on fire. Stressed out and wanting to stop, drop and roll but not having the strength to feel I can.


It is then I realize that I can't put that fire out myself. I need God to pour his anointing oil upon those flames and quench those horrible fires that don't belong in my life. The only fire that should be burning is the fire of his holy spirit. That burning passion to do the right thing and serve God with all my mind, soul and spirit. The kind of fire that causes us to lay it all down and rest in his hands. What better place is there than putting our life into the hands of the one who created us? He knows us better than we know ourselves. I don't want to be like those foolish virgins in the Bible who let their lamps burn out before the bridegroom came. I want my fire for God to burn bright and not allow anything to quench that fire. It is only the flames that don't belong in my life I want to quench before I get burned badly and I know with God's help I can become more wise in taking care of myself in those area's. I also want to encourage you who may be reading this blog to go ahead and trust God if your being burned by a fire that hurts badly. He can heal your hurts if you'll give it to him. I know that for a fact because He's done it for me!

Happy 27th Birthday to my Twin Sisters!!

It is so hard to believe that 27 years ago today my Mom had a second set of Twins! I was 6, my brother 4 and the first set were 2 when Michelle and Melissa were born. I still remember vividly this day and how the Doctor's gave Dad a choice. Shall we save your wife or save your baby girl (my little sis, Michelle) Dad told them he couldn't make a decision like that and that he was going to pray and guess what? After a very difficult birth, my mother and my little sister both survived! That's the Power of Prayer!

Happy 27th Birthday Michelle and Melissa

We love and miss you xoxox

Love Joanie, Conrad, Reuben
Rachael, Hannah

Emily and Alex

A Hot Cup on a Chilly Day

For the first time in a long time this year, my hands felt like icicles as I buckled the Twins in the van this morning. With the wind whipping through my hair and my eyes watering from wind tears, I could barely move my hands when I got in to drive off. How I longed to wrap my fingers around a hot cup of something!!! Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate, I didn't care. Just something HOT! I made a note to self....wear gloves from now on!! Winter is just around the corner and already the ever changing leaves are are being ripped from their branches from the fierce October winds we've been having lately. We hunkered down for Hurricane Kyle but the tree's barely moved. The winds that we've had these past couple of weeks have been worse than the day the weather channel warned the Maritimes of the Hurricane!

One of my favorite pastimes is sipping a hot drink and sinking back into the couch as I read a great book (which usually is the greatest book of all...the Bible). Recently, I discovered an exquisite tea called "Chocolatey Chai Herbal Tea"....oh, what a TEA!! Not only does it tantalize your sense of taste but your sense of smell as well. Just smelling it as it steeps causes tension to leave your body. I am still a avid coffee drinker but this tea is starting to take the place of those evening coffee breaks I used to share with my wonderful sister, Michelle. Every time I make a cup and Alex is near, he'll exclaim "Mommy, you smell so good...It smells good in here. MMMmmmmm can I have some?" LOL He is right it does smell GOOD! It's like a warm hug on a cold day ;-)

Lately, I've been finding it very difficult to recharge my batteries. Maybe the charger is in need of repair or maybe I am plugging into the wrong things to recharge them. There's been a few times I've went to bed wishing I spent more time on my devotions and plugged into the One who can super charge my batteries. It's in those moments that I feel so thinly spread I may snap that I have to remind myself, it's OK to say no once in a while and God is patiently waiting for me to destress in his arms. That's even better than a warm hug. To know that we have a loving God that is just waiting to calm the storm or to calm us as we face the storm. I heard a pastor the other day say..."We are either entering, in the middle or coming out of a storm." With that knowledge we can be better prepared and thankful that storms never last long. There are brighter days just around the next bend. I am reminded of a song I heard a lot as a child:

"Storms never last do they Saviour

Bad time will pass with the wind

Your hand in mine stills the thunder all the time

And your love makes the sun shine again."

I don't know where I would be without God. He has kept me through some of the hardest storms of my life where even my faith in Him took a beating and I wondered "God do you even care?" I was shaken to the core but yet I trusted him that he was there somewhere and he would help me at just the right moment. Many times he has placed people in my path to encourage me or inspire me to keep holding on. Over the years, one thing I've learned about God is that he is REAL and He is ALWAYS ON TIME. He loves us with an everlasting love!

Psalm 63:7 ~Because thou (GOD) hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

Another Storeyland Update :)

Even though it is windy and chilly out today, it is still a beautiful day. Wow, time goes way too fast. I actually wrote a bit each day in October but didn't have a chance to publish it, so instead of having a bunch of blogs for you to read I am posting them all into one starting with the first of October, then I will create a single one for today :)


October 1st:

Yesterday was such a wonderful day! I got to have lunch with my brother and his wife. I really enjoyed myself and what a fantastic way to spend the morning. Time just went way too fast though! I needed to be back by dinner to pick up the Twins. That brief three hours away from them goes super fast. Amanda and I enjoyed our girl time together and I guess my brother who left a bit early was outnumbered by us girls as usual LOL I still haven't figured out the puzzle he gave me as I left! It's a brain teaser for sure. Amanda, thanks for such a wonderful morning. I look forward to our next "date" ;-)


Today was a catch up day for me. It seems the more I do, the more there is to do. I decided to make homemade biscuits and chili. Guess I scored brownie points with the kids tee hee...They loved the hot butter brushed biscuits. Then Reuben and Rachael rushed off for their first night of Cadets. I am so glad that they wanted to join this program. It teaches self-discipline and many other great attributes that are beneficial to children in today's society. Hannah, the Twins and I did some baking tonight which diminished pretty quickly. My children just love to bake. I also ordered Reuben's cake today too. He wants a knights castle. I can't believe his birthday is on Friday. Where does the time go?

October 2nd:

Oh my goodness, it took me forever to get the kids out the door this morning. Reuben almost missed his bus and the twins just wanted to watch cartoons. They just didn't want to go to School today. However, I wasn't about to keep them home, I knew that they would be wanting to go after the cartoons were over. Sure enough, as soon as I dropped them off they were practically pushing me out the door. I had a very busy morning. I almost forgot to pick them up. We headed into Freddy where we had lunch with Daddy. Oh the twins loved that. They just love going to get Daddy from work. They always want to run across the front lawn and look at the Ducks but it was raining so we stayed put. We had fun looking for presents for Reuben this afternoon. The countdown is on...he turns 11 tomorrow!


October 3rd:

11 years ago today, God blessed us with a baby boy and he was also referred to as our miracle child. I was told I'd never have children but God is a healer and he chose to heal me. I'll never forget the day Reuben was born. My word, I ate like 6 fudgescicles before my water broke LOL. Not much wonder the child loves chocolate :) Our lives got richer on this day 11 years ago. To our fantastic son we want to say....

Happy Birthday Reuben!!!

Love Mommy, Daddy, Rachael

Hannah, Emily and Alex

We love you and

We are very proud of you!!

We asked Reuben where he wanted to go for his birthday supper and we were secretly hoping he would choose a nice restaurant but instead he chose McDonald's...so much for a yummy Chinese dinner LOL. Instead we had to settle for burger and fries. We did let him open a present from us and Nan & Pup. We saved one for his party too. Unfortunately, he has to wait a week for his party but he still had a great time afterwards we went shopping. He of course wanted to spend his birthday money. Needless to say, the children were tired by the time we got home.


The weekend was busy and in there somewhere was a tiny bit of family time. I wasn't feeling well and so I spent a lot of time resting. The children had a blast and even got to roast marshmallows over a bonfire with hubby. I am so thankful that I have him and that he does fun things like that with the kids. He even got some yard work done too.


October 6th:

Do you ever have days when things just don't go as planned. I am so disappointed that my plans had to change for today. Instead of spending time with a great friend, sipping tea and swapping parenting woes....I was home experiencing more woes! I noticed one of the kids marked all over the stools with Permanent marker. Where they find these in the house I don't know because I thought they were all put up high in the cupboard. I think I have an artist on hand who is practicing his A's. He tries to write his name on many things. One time it was my shoe, another time the inside of my shoe, the walls, the table, the cupboard etc. It reminds me of the time when we first moved to this area, we were renting a house and Reuben wanted to make sure his friends could find his room. So, he drew blue arrows from the front door all the way across the kitchen, dining room, foyer, up the stairs to his room. On his door and on his walls. For the longest time it wouldn't come off and we would just say to his friends who came looking for him.......just follow the blue arrows LOL