Sept 1 - 30, 2009

Sept. 30, 2009

Out come the rain boots - torrential downpour! You'd think it's Spring, not Autumn.

Sept. 29, 2009

Nothing says Autumn like being buried in leaves!

 

Sept. 28, 2009

TJ making her own lunch... AND her sister's. Growing up more every day.

Sept. 27, 2009

The winds here are absolutely crazy! THIS officially beats out Chicago for the windy city award!

 

Sept. 26, 2009

An evening out with some great ladies from the ward after the General Relief Society broadcast.

 

Sept 25, 2009

The kids did their Terry Fox run today. I caught them as they passed by our house.

 

Sept. 24, 2009

While waiting for a photoshoot to begin, I snapped this photo. Quiet tranquility. I wish my life were as tranquil~!

 

Sept 23, 2009

The weather has been so warm this week, we took every opportunity to walk to and from school.

 

Sept. 22, 2009

Visiting the geese at the lake near the Legislative building.

 

Sept. 21, 2009

The older girls tried their best to cheer up BB after she lost the game of Chutes and Ladders. It did eventually work! (These pics were taken on our phone - sorry for the quality!)

 

Sept. 20, 2009

Playing on the Wii! Always entertaining :)

 

Sept. 19, 2009

An amazing night out with great friends, great food, and great music! My first night at the symphony!

 

Sept. 18, 2009

Lining up for their turn at the pinata at Justus' birthday party!

 

Sept. 17, 2009

I've been enjoying the time I still have together with JJ on the days when she's not in Pre-School. I'll miss these days.

 

Sept. 16, 2009

Bumble Bees busy gathering the last pollen before the cold weather sets in!

 

Sept. 15, 2009

JJ's first day of Pre-Kindergarten (our school system's pre-school program). I was just a little teary eyed to see her looking so grown up!

 

Sept. 14, 2009

Collecting slugs from our garden. Ew!

 

Sept. 13, 2009

Listening to Elder Gibbons from the quorum of the 70 was such a highlight to my week. He was so uplifting, so encouraging, and offered what I want to take as my new mantra "You're better than you think you are!". Amen!

 

Sept. 12, 2009

Saturday spent purging and organizing our STUFF. It looked worse before it got better, but it felt amazing to get rid of clutter and give us some breathing room!

 

Sept. 11, 2009

With JJ starting pre-kindergarten soon, I am going to miss our quiet time in the mornings. She plays so nicely on her own, but she is more than ready for a little more.

 

Sept. 10, 2009

Meet the teacher night at school! The girls have been blessed with wonderful teachers - so kind, smart, and fun.

 

Sept. 9, 2009

TJ was so proud to plan, organzie, and carry out a fun picnic/bike ride date with her daddy.

 

Sept. 8, 2009

TJ the fashionista! She comes up with some fun outfits - putting together the perfect accessories, sometimes matching, sometimes throwing conformity to the wind. I'm excited to see where her fashion sense takes her.

 

Sept. 7, 2009

Fun at Pumpkin Hollow on our Labour Day Monday.

 

Sept. 6, 2009

This is a regular sight around our place Sunday mornings. The girls are only allowed their scriptures, a notebook, and a pen in sacrament meeting, and they remain quiet and reverent (MOST of the time). I'll miss seeing those little tiny scripture cases as they grow.

 

Sept. 5, 2009

Yes, it's September, but still warm enough for Freezie Pops! Yum!

 

Sept. 4, 2009

Time to get to work scrapbooking!

 

Sept. 3, 2009

B looked so beautiful today. I caught a glimpse of the young woman she is becoming. Such beauty.

 

Sept. 2, 2009

HOT today! Hot enough for a picnic and play time at a water park.

 

Sept. 1, 2009

The older girls in school - JJ and I enjoyed a hot chocolate at the Book and Brier to celebrate one of last mornings just hanging out together.

 

August 1-31, 2009

August 31, 2009

First day of kindergarten for Bayboo! And boy was she ever ready! She didn't even want me to walk into the classroom with her, she just wanted to race off and start school. Such a fearless girl (either that, or she's just embarrassed by me!)

 

August 30, 2009

Lyndon making phone calls for the High Priest group. He is a constant and stalwart example of church service, trying very hard to do everything he can to serve. He always puts his family first, but his church service is so important to him. I admire how dedicated he is, and his desire to always be improving and growing in his testimony. I love this guy!

  

August 29, 2009

Harry Potter birthday! TJ was invited by her good friend, Brayden, to a super fun Harry Potter birthday party. She took a "potions class", visited Honey Dukes, and came home with tonnes of fun magic tricks.

  

August 28, 2009

Today I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed. Everything went smoothly and besides several days of soreness, there were no complications. SO HAPPY about that. My girls created a scrapbook page for me with all of their photos on it to help me feel better.

  

August 27, 2009

A special day on two counts! FIRST Bayboo turned 5 years old! YES! And TJ and B started school today; TJ starting grade 4, and B starting grade 3. They were so prepared, their outfits picked and layed out for the first day. We took some pics, watched them find out who their teacher would be, then left them in the hands of the school! Always a bitter sweet moment.

  

August 26, 2009

Using our last day before school to play at a local waterpark (one of MANY here). It was so fun and relaxing, even for me. I was laying out on a blanket, reading a book and thinking how fast summer seemed to go! I wonder if the girls were thinking the same thing?

  

August 25, 2009

I couldn't created an album of my year without including a picture of Superstore in there, somewhere!  We buy our groceries, toiletries, much of our clothing, EVERYTHING here. We're so glad it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from our place. It sure is SUPER!

  

August 24, 2009

Musical chairs. What more can I say? 

  

August 23, 2009

Thanks to our good friends, the Burgesses, we have our fridge stocked with all this fresh veggie goodness! I whipped up some delish zucchini brownies, bread, stir-fry - you name it! And still have lots to spare!

  

  

August 22, 2009

Ward service project. Goal: get the church and it's grounds spic and span! I was busy getting the cleaning caught up around the house, so hubby took the girls over to the church to help. So nice to see what a great turn out we had. If I didn't have the church, who knows how many service opportunities our family would be involved in?

 

 

August 21, 2009

A day at the beach! Okay, so it was more of an evening, and it was too chilly to swim, but still lots of fun to be had! Did I mention that the water was near freezing?! BRRR!

  

August 20, 2009

Many lazy summer days spent playing at one park or another. TJ is chillaxing on a tire swing. Oh, just feel the heat!

  

August 19, 2009

Oh, this is reality, folks. My kitchen being messy. It happens. It likes being this way, in fact. But I can't stand it. I cleaned it up within milliseconds of me snapping this shot.

  

  

August 18, 2009 

When you live in a household where 5 of the 6 residents are girls, you get a lot of this happening:

  

August 17, 2009

The little J bird turns 3! It seems to me that in the last  month or so, she has matured in leaps and bounds. She chatters away about everything and really has her own thoughts and ideas. She has become very independent, wanting to try everything by herself! And she can certainly hold her own with her big sisters!

  

August 16, 2009

Celebrating Bayboo and J bird's birthdays together while Grandma and Grandpa G were in town.

  

August 15, 2009

JJ being so melancholy. Even with a beautiful rose from our garden to cheer her up, she looked so forlorn! She is probably the moodiest of our girls, and she's almost 3! YIKES! Cheer up soon, my little J Bird!

  

August 14, 2009

My B girl. She is truly coming into her own this year. She has decided she loves to wear dresses. Every. Day. Not just denim skirts, or jumpers - we're talking fancy, lacy, frilly, flowery dresses. As girly as girly can get! But, why not? She's a girl, afterall!

  

August 13, 2009

Poor kiddos, sick again! Or still? Either way, the fever, the cough, the lethargy. It was like a vicious cycle going around and around our house this summer! Just Bronchitis for these two this time. Some anitbiotics and they were as good as new!

  

August 12, 2009

Who says you can't bake in the summer time? And nothing beats good old fashioned choco chip cookies! MMMMmmmm.

  

August 11, 2009

Are you tired of seeing us at water parks? Well, it's the next best thing when you don't live super close to a nice beach. Our girls made friends with this cutie during our trip today.

  

August 10, 2009

First knitting project. A hat that is too small for JJ, who loves to wear it anyway and stretch it to it's limits. Still, I finished something. I'm going to keep learning and try more projects!

  

August 9, 2009

Bayboo and B and I were off to church alone with daddy taking TJ and JJ to the doctor. It's been a blessing to  live close to the church so we can walk on a beautiful summer day like this!

  

August 8, 2009

Sushi!!! We tried our hand at making some delicious sushi with an amazing sushi chef as our instructor. I loved every second of it, even when I ate so much my stomach was sick! Thanks, Chef Jonas! (And check out his website at www.sushisurfer.com !)

  

August 7, 2009

Whatever the sickness is that has gripped our family this summer, it sure knocks us out! Poor JJ just kind of passes out wherever it's comfortable. Poor baby.

  

August 6, 2009

Excitement! BB wanted a specific hair cut that I wasn't going to try doing myself - not with her fabulously thick, wavy hair! So, off we went to a hair dresser's to get it done professionally. BB was very shy about it, but was pleased with the results.

  

August 5, 2009

The sewing bug bit me and I tried my hand at these two simple patterns. The doll was for Bayboo's birthday. The reversible tote? For me!

  

August 4, 2009

I love this picture. I love how close they all are. I love TJ's weird sense of style. I love how similar their hair color looks! I love these girls.

  

August 3, 2009

Another sewing project - a practical one. This camera (the Canon 5D) is SUPER heavy, which is great for reducing camera shake, but BAD on my poor neck. Thus the need for a padded camera strap cover. This was easy to sew and got me itching to sew again!

  

August 2, 2009

Such a blessing to live close to a temple. We can drive by there with the family for FHE, we can visit as a couple, or we can go, along with the community, to the temple gardens open house like we did tonight. We brought along our friend, Philip Gross, who is staying in the city for a few weeks this summer. It was a perfect night (except for the mosquitos!). 

  

August 1, 2009

Surprise! It's a parade!! I can't remember what the parade was for, but parades always get me excited!