Computer Center

The girls computer center!

This is one of my favorite areas of the house. I have had a lot of fun organizing it for the girls.  I guess, secretly, I would have loved this area as a little girl. I stocked it full of pens, pencils, crayons, markers, tape, glue, paper, coloring books and craft supplies. Who doesnt love a fresh brand new pack of crayons??? The girls now have a fun place to go to do their homework, to craft and a place to put all their 'treasures'. I love it!! I wish my office looked the same way...but I am staring at wild indians ready to scalp me, propellers, skis and numerous other fun items of Mike's collection.  My other issue is James. When the house was in the planning stage...we had 3 girls. This new little blue in our family threw a curve ball into my pink 3 person computer center. Do you think he will notice?? LOL

The 'Great' Chair

This one is for Christine...who requested a post about 'the chair'...

Okay...really its not so great...but it has caused us a lot of hassle.  Mike's brother was ordering a load of furniture from Great Falls...due to a huge price difference across the border.  We had found an office chair at the same company and figured we would order it and hopefully have it picked up at the same time.  We ordered back in October. Well December came and their order was in...our chair, unfortunately, was not.  So they left to pick up their beautiful furniture and we waited.  Finally, the chair was in...but it was damaged so they had to reorder it.  We got a call just after James was born...the chair was in and not damaged...so we could pick it up. Well, bad timing to say the least.  But all was not lost...there was another order from Calgary and they were willing to bring it up.  Perfect. Well they got to Great Falls and couldnt squeeze the chair in ...so we were stuck once again.  Well, May arrived and still no chair.  I picked up the calendar and realized there was a day that would work. So with a little planning I arranged to pick it up and have a little girl time too.  So Christy, Marissa, James and I left for Great Falls.  It was a fun little getaway and we picked up the chair and a few other fun items..thanks to Target. All went so smoothly...until we reached Shelby.  Now apparently cross border shopping has picked up significantly due to the dollar at par.  So we heard rumors of 3 + hour waits to get back across. Christy's dad suggested that we take a smaller border crossing in Del Bonita.  So to Del Bonita we went. We were so thrilled...no cars on the road at all. Just us...with this grand idea of crossing at Del Bonita.  At first siting of the border crossing...we hooted and hollared as their was NO ONE...not ONE CAR at the border!  We patted ourselves on the back for saving ourselves a 3 hour wait.  That was until we saw the gate and the HUGE stop sign blocking our path.  Yes, the gate was closed! It had closed at 6pm and our clock said 645pm.  Dang.  Not only that...but in 10 days the summer hours began and the border would then be open from 9-9pm.  Dang again.  So we then headed to Carway rather than head back to Coutts border for a 3 hour wait.  This proved to be the right decision as there were no cars at this crossing either, it was OPEN and inside we found out the wait at Coutts had been 3+ hours all day!  So all  in all we 'think' we did save time and we got to see a lot of Montana.  A fun trip and a lesson learned....check border times!!

Go DAVID!!

So tonight we find out which David will win American Idol. I was actually leaning toward David Cook as he has the slight rocker sound that I like. However, based on last nights performances...I have since changed my vote to David Archeleta.  He showed up and performed 3 amazing songs and showed America that he wanted to win.  So there you have it...my vote!  Anyone with me??

Also,  I was very happy to see Kristi Yamaguchi win Dancing with the stars. Americas sweetheart did an amazing job each week and her technique was amazing.  She definately deserved the mirror ball for her performances!!

Summer is HERE!!!

For those of you who have lived in Calgary...you know that we basically go from winter to summer...kind of skipping spring all together. Well last weekend...we were shivering on the deck for James' blessing day with the high of being 8C. Brrrr. Yesterday, we hit 31C and the city instantly turned green. Im not kidding ..the leaves popped in one day. It is amazing what a little sunshine and warmth does for a city. Everyone is HAPPY! What is even better...we are heading into a long weekend with summer sun and warm 30C temperatures. It is invigorating!! So I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the sun! I know I could use some serious color (my dad called me yellow...eeeek..that cant be a good thing!) Happy sunshine everyone!! :)

James Blessing Day!

We had such a wonderful day! Not only was it Mothers Day..but it was James' blessing day! It was so special to have it on this day! We are so grateful for so many family and friends that showed up to celebrate with us. James received a beautiful blessing and we are so thrilled to have him in our family! We celebrated with a lunch after the blessing and it was so fun to have so many with us on this special day! We were just thrilled...thank you!! James was just perfect the whole day. He is such a content and happy boy...and we LOVE LOVE his smiles! I hope everyone had a special Mothers Day and I was so lucky to have both my mom and Mike's mom with us!!

James in motion!!

Ok Im just testing to see if I can post a video. Our video camera is ANCIENT! However, I realized my little cannon does video! So James is not doing much in this video..its just to see if I can do it...lol.

Loving the LG's!!

When we first moved back to Calgary...we were renting a house. The house came with some great front loaders. I thought I was in heaven..they were so awesome. Then we moved into another rental...and I took a huge leap back to small washer and dryer again. Laundry was not as fun anymore. So when we moved into our house..I knew that I had tasted the front loader life and couldnt go back...so we ordered the LG's! I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I do so much laundry these days..and it is such a breeze with these machines. So if anyone is contemplating taking the plunge..I would highly recommend the investment. They are my new best friends! Now if only they could invent a folding machine...I cant keep up to these machines!!

PS...can you tell Ive been doing laundry all day?? LOL

James Slept Thru the NIGHT!!!!!!! WOO HOOO!!

I am doing the dance of JOY today! James slept thru the night!!!! SWEET!! I put him down at 830pm and he peeped a little bit at 230am so I popped up but didnt think he needed to eat...so I rewrapped him and popped his soother in....and I didnt hear from him again till 630am!! I couldnt believe it!! What a little sweetie! He has just been so good for us!! I dont know if he will continue this sleep thru the night trend!! But Ill enjoy the moment anyway!! Mike says...he is so good we should have another one!! LOL! I said...oh he is good and so darn sweet...but NO!! (Besides..there is no chance we would get two perfect babies in a row ;) and Im sure that everyone that helped us SOOOOOOOOOO much to get James here..will wholeheartedly agree...NO!!!)

The Jelly Bean Girls

The Jelly Bean Dancers!

The girls had the Humphrey's girls over for a playdate. They were busy in the basement working on a 'dance'. All of a sudden they came upstairs and I watched their production. They only would do it...if I promised to put them on the blog. LOL! It was so cute..they have a lot of fun entertaining themselves! They are so lucky to have such sweet girls to play with! Christy is getting her blog started (YAHOO!!)...but she needs some motivation...so click on her link and encourage her to blog!!! Hee Hee!!

James...enjoying the show...lol...no lack of entertainment around here.

Deep thoughts....

Ive been thinking all morning about actions. Weird..I know. But this morning I was driving the girls to school, and nearly got hit. The lady in front of me..decided at the last second that she needed to be in a turning lane...where 3 cars were waiting to turn. So she came to a complete stop in our lane wanting to get into the turn lane. I slammed on my brakes and then noticed a 4-runner behind me nearly miss me and swerve into the other lane. It was so close..and because we were going 60 he would have given us a good hit! Now the lady that made the decision to stop probably would not have been hit...but the 4-runner and I would have been a mess not to mention the other cars around us. The lady probably would have just kept on driving not knowing the mess she had left behind her. My heart was beating hard for nearly an hour..and I was so frustrated with her for making such a stupid decision. I have 4 kids in the car and they could have been seriously hurt because of her stupid decision. I have calmed down now...but have been thinking about how our actions affect others whether positively or negatively. So we need to be aware of the decisions we are making..and make sure we are affecting others postively and not making a mess behind us wherever we go. So those are my deep thoughts for today! Im so glad that 4-runner had quick reflexes and swerved out of the way..my day would have been very different had he plowed into us. I feel we were being watched over this morning and Im squeezing my kids extra tight tonight!

PS..I was googling for a picture of a Honda Odyssey that had been in an accident...and couldnt find any. That made me feel a little better knowing we were driving a safe vehicle...but I dont care to see all those air bags pop out...ever.

Meeting Great Grandma Smith!!

Grandma Smith is in town and we finally got to visit with her! It has been so long!! The girls were dying to see her...we are so lucky to have her in our lives. So Nonna and Claire brought her by for a visit! She looks so great!! She said James is her 75th great grandchild!! Can you even imagine what a family she has??? We are so excited to celebrate her 90th birthday next month and look forward to the celebration!!

I am so NOT Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray....

I caught a few minutes of Rachel Ray the other day..she had Trisha Yearwood on as a guest. They were making a german chocolate cake that Trisha always makes for Garth Brooks on his birthday! It looked sooooo good..and I love German Chocolate Cake...so I thought Id give it a go. Mike's parents were bringing over his Grandma to see the baby..so I thought..perfect....Ill make this cake. Well I found a few minutes in the afternoon and looked up the recipe... darn it...I was missing 1/2 of the ingredients and had no time to dash to the store. So I had to majorly cheat and use a german chocolate cake mix...but I thought ...I could make the icing. So I did..and then assembled. And this was the result...a lopsided disaster!!

Who's the cutest Teddy???????

Paige and I were having fun with James and his teddy's today..lol.

He did not look too impressed....

Fun Pictures...

Smiling!!

James has been smiling for about 2 weeks now...it is just hard to catch on camera!! We LOVE his smiles and he has even started laughing. He also tries to talk to us..with little coos and bubbles. Sometimes Ill set him down and peek at him and he will just be kicking and smiling away! He had his 2 month shots and is growing so fast!! He is tipping the scales at 12 lbs and is 23.5 inches. He is sleeping great at night with the normal night consisting of one feeding!! That just thrills me!! What a sweetie!

A Whole New House!!!

Well....here it is...the house looks TOTALLY different! Yesterday they finished two walls...side and back. Today was spent on the front. They have been working long long hours and will finish the last side tomorrow! So we will look forward to some exterior painters hopefully soon to finish the garages and front door detail and then we will look like the rest of the street!

OUT WITH THE GREY...IN WITH THE?????

Well today is the day!! We are saying goodbye to the grey cement house!! We have been the ugliest house on the street for quite sometime...so we are nervous to see what color our house ends up. I say that..because we are the last house on the street our choices of stucco were limited. Architectural control dictates are such that it made it hard for us to get a normal color because they were all chosen!! So we are nervous to see what it ends up to be.....however...I feel safe to say we wont be the brightest....a house down the street was just stuccoed...and it resembles a pineapple...with light pineapple trim! So phew...we wont be the brightest!! Ill post a picture when its done....stay tuned!!

SLEEP GLORIOUS SLEEP!!!

Oh Im just so excited this morning!! James had a GREAT night and only woke up once to eat!! He has been quite regular eating every 3 hours on the dot until he turned 6 weeks. Then all of a sudden he was eating every 2 hours around the clock....after about a week of that..I was sooooo tired and couldnt keep that schedule. So I tried to figure out what the issue was ...and wondered if maybe I didnt have enough milk. So I started alternating feedings with a bottle...and WOW what a difference! He sleeps at night now!!! He has had 3 great nights..but last night was the BEST! I put him down at 9pm he woke at 4am and then again at 8am! Now that is a schedule I can live with!! I am seriously doing the dance of joy this morning. Amazing how a little sleep makes you feel like a million bucks!!

Peek a BOO!!

It just cracks me up everytime we are getting ready to head out the door. Ill get James in his seat all bundled up. Then I rush around getting everyone ready and come back and just see these little eyes peeping out...so cute! He is so patient while the rest of us try to get organized and out the door. Luckily he loves his car seat because he is in it ALL the time now that Im driving the girls 3 times a day! He was so good on our trip to Montana...not a peep! We are so lucky to have such a patient little guy!!

Spring Break in Montana!

We spent the week of Spring Break at the cabin! We were thrilled that Mike had the whole week off! The girls and Mike did a few ski days with fresh snow..and Mike did a few on his own! He totally scored on our last day there as there was a nice blizzard dropping loads of snow! The van couldnt even make it up the hill to the ski lodge...so he hitched a ride and enjoyed two feet of powder! We saw movies, played games and just relaxed together! It was so great to get away!! It felt like Christmas with all the new snow and the christmas tree was still up...lol. However, we are glad it is April and we are looking forward to summer! Ill post ski pics when I get them off the other camera!